How about an adventure?: the wrong place at the right time
by zerotolorance
Summary: Itchy is just your average Mobian out of a million living in Robotropolis living his average life...or it used to be. something has happened to Sanctuary, One of the few hopes for the future. With Sonic nowhere to be seen, it's up to Itchy and his new friend to stop this new enemy from fulfilling their unknown plot of unknown horror. Can they stop them in time? maybe...maybe.
1. Chapter 1: The Hero

Ch..1 the Hero

"It's Monday, why must it be Monday?" Sure enough, as I turn my head towards the clock on my night stand '6:30 AM Monday' a day hated by fat cats and everyone else. I looked around my crappy apartment bedroom, it's small, really small, and the bed takes up most of it. What's left is taken up by the nightstand and junk littered all over the floor. Ignoring the allurement of my bed, I walked into the living room.

To the right is a cracked window and a slightly bent door, a TV on a crate sits between them. To my left is the kitchen/washroom/computer room. Complete with a rusty fridge, busted washer, broken floor tiles, and a restroom with the door missing. I walked towards the couch in the middle of the room, grabbed the wallet from the armrest, and pulled out a driver's license. 'Itchigan E. Featherworth. Age: 19. Occupation: Local Repair Mobian.' On the left side of the card is a picture of a frowning, sepia brown hedgehog with sharp, coffee colored eyes. His fur looks messy and unkempt, the gray hoodie he wears looks like it was taken out of the trash, which isn't far from the truth. With his arms across his chest, black, torn, leather gloves with his fingers exposed can be seen. While not seen, it can be assumed he's wearing faded jeans and black sneakers. If you haven't figured it out yet, that hedgehog is me, and I hate Mondays. You see, I'm the local repair Mobian. I'm the guy people go to should something get broken, but people tend to hold things off till Monday, then they come to me. I put the wallet in my back pocket, grabbed my keys and, with some effort, opened the door to see... Robotropolis, the unholy city of scum, pollution, and badnicks.

* * *

'Sunshine Motel: you can feel the sunshine' my light in a town of darkness. I began walking towards the parking lot, he faces I see, nothing but frowns, but as I reach my destination, a ray of hope. The children are playing in the lot, smiling and giggling without a care in the world. One child darted towards me. A young coyote girl with a pink T-shirt and jean overalls, Wendy's her name I think.

"Itchy, Itchy!"

"Then scratch it!" I replied sarcastically

"No!" she said with a giggle. "Guess what Mr. Itchy, my tooth is loose!" she smiled and began fiddling with her front tooth. It wiggled back and forth.

"That's great Wendy! Maybe when it falls out, the tooth fairy will give you some cash."

"What's a tooth fairy?"

That pulled on my heart strings. "Well a tooth fairy is a magic creature that takes your tooth from under your pillow and replaces it with money." I began rubbing the quills on my head, this is getting awkward.

"Oh, my mommy says magic doesn't exist."

Yet another tug on my heart strings. Suddenly, a young white mouse named Pricilla in a yellow sun dress walks over.

"Guess what Mr. Itchy, it's my birthday!"

"Really? And me without a birthday present, wait right here." I walk towards a large black 18-wheeler and climbed inside the trailer. I looked at its contents of junk and tools and got to work. This hunk of metal is known as the Scumbucket. I call it that because its previous employment was carrying broken robots back to the junk yard. It later ended up in the junkyard and eventually to me.

I climbed out of the trailer and was greeted with a group of children watching me, the birthday girl in the front. I handed her a cardboard box with the words 'To: Pricilla' on the lid. She opened the box and pulled out a pair of small hollowed out badnick shoes with two metal objects known as trucks welded on the bottom, each truck with two wheels screwed on each side. "Wow roller skates! Thanks Mr. Itchy." She slipped them on quickly, falling only once but was soon riding on air. As the other children watched in awe, I climbed into the Scumbucket and drove away into the town of darkness and far away from this ray of hope.

* * *

I hate my job, especially on Mondays. I hate my customers, they either think they're too smart for their own good and try to do my job, or are too dumb to cooperate. The worst part is the payment, power rings and more power rings. Our dear friend Doctor Robuttface passed a law saying that power rings can be used as tax payment when he discovered they can be used as a power source. This gave them value, but not as currency, and people are always trying to pay with them. Well its quitting time, might as well close up shop and…

"Hello? Is anyone here?"

"Shit" I thought to myself. I headed into the back office of the repair shop, and ducked under the desk. I can see two televisions to my left. One connected to a camera outside, the other inside. On the latter I can see a hedgehog wandering around the shop.

"Hello?" "Nobody here, go away."

"But you're here."

"No, this is a recorded message, please leave a message after the beep *BEEP*" I sure hope this works. The last thing I want is something to make me actually work.

"Hello!"

I jumped, banging my head on the table, ouch.

"Oh my goodness are you alright?"

"Yeah I'll be fine."

"I can go if you want."

"No, no you found me fair and square, what do you want?" I crawled out from under the table and got a good look at the hedgehog. If I'm 3 feet 5 inches, she's probably about 3 feet 2 inches. She's a much brighter shade of brown then me and her fur is much neater then my own. She's wearing a blue vest with a white tube top and skin tight athletic shorts. Like most Mobians, she wears white gloves. Her emerald green eyes look so…innocent.

"Well if you look here." She motioned towards her raised leg. She's wearing with and blue knee high boots with heart shaped belt buckles on the outer sides. On the raised leg, the sole was hanging by a few threads.

"Sheesh, what happened?"

"I…had an accident." She let loose a forced giggle. I gave her a closer look. Her clothes are all tattered and she had a small cut on her left cheek. She looks like she just came out of a cat fight.

"Well what do I look like a cobbler?"

"A what?"

"A cobbler, you know, a guy who fixes shoes?"

"Sorry, it's just, I can't go anywhere like this and you were the first guy I saw."

"Alright, alright." I sat on a chair and pulled out a sowing kit from a cabinet next to the desk. She gave me a funny look.

"What? I have accidents too." I held out my hand and she removed her boot slowly, hoping not to cause any more damage. Once the boot hit my hand, I went straight to work.

This boot, it isn't normal. The sole is made out of rubber yes, but it's some kind of special rubber. This is the kind of stuff you'd find on a racecar.

"What's your name?" said the hedgehog

"Itchigan, but my friends call me Itchy." She took a step back and began fiddling with her quills. I felt a bit insulted. "It's not because I have fleas".

"Oh" she blushed "I'm sorry, my name's Sonar."

"That's an odd name for a hedgehog."

"Not as weird as Itchy." She giggled.

"Touché" I grinned. "Well that's done" I handed her the newly repaired boot. She slipped it on and gave it a few stomps while I pulled out a calculator.

"alright so with the cost of the string used plus the cost of the broken needle and seeing how it' past closing time, it's going to cost you about ten bucks." I looked up from the calculator only to see that she was gone, a wad of cash laying where she left off. I counted…1000% tip eh?

* * *

I headed home, past the streets, past the parking lot, past the door, a room, and another door, and hit the sack. I thought to myself "I'm glad today's over" but I may have thought too soon. The phone began to ring. "Hello? Yes…yes…WHAT!?


	2. Chapter 2: The Heroine

Ch.2 the Heroine

My job is never done. One minute I'm here, then I'm gone. Not even able to say thank you and goodbye, but when my communicator goes off, it's always for a reason. By the way, my name is Sonar the Hedgehog, nice to meet you.

I headed towards New Mobotropolis, a sort of light out of all the darkness in the world. We worked so hard to make this dream come true, and even harder to keep it alive. The trees zipped by leaving whistles through the leaves, the sound of nature can be beautiful. Then I reached it, a nice little hill that looks over the whole town. It looks so peaceful with the people mingling happily and the children playing joyfully, but I don't have time to enjoy the view, I'm on the job I dashed past the town towards a little stump and jumped into our little secret.

"Hello everybody!"

"Sonar!" cried a yellow fox "You're okay!" Tails the two tailed fox is always worried.

"Of course I'm okay, all I did was break into one of Eggmans heavily guarded bases, fought for my life against wave after wave of badnicks, and escaped in less than ten seconds before the whole thing turned into on big fireball. Do we have any chilidogs? I'm hungry." Tails couldn't help but giggle. It makes me smile when I make people laugh.

"Where is everyone anyway?"

Tails walked towards a monitor and began typing away on the keyboard. File after file opened on screen. It all popped up so fast it made my head spin.

"Sally is at a town meeting and Sonic is still at Downunda."

"Still?"

"Eggmans keeping him busy, but I'm sure he'll be back soon."

"He's too slow, he better hurry up."

"Everyone else is out doing missions."

"Speaking of missions, why'd you call me?"

"Oh yeah, we got some great news." Tails let loose a big smile and pulled a folder from behind him. "Remember why you infiltrated the base in the first place?"

"Yeah you wanted me to steal a file from Eggmans database. Why was that file so important anyway?"

"Well, that file held information about a royal party Eggman had planned for today. There was going to be enough food there to feed a village."

"So you want me to crash it?"

"No need, we intercepted the shipment, we're going to feed a village!"

Tails was so happy about this great news and so was I. new Mobotropolis as had a recent food shortage and we had to send most of what we had to Sanctuary.

"This is where you come in."

"What?" I said sadly.

A long time ago, Sanctuary was once an old base we used to hide in before New Mobotropolis. To this day Eggman still hasn't found it. Lately we've been getting a lot of orphans who lost their parents to you know who, so we turned the former base into a shelter where the children can grow up safely, even if something were to happen to us. It's the safest place to be right now.

"So you want me to escort the supplies to Sanctuary?"

"Yup."

"But the supply trucks are so slow! I might as well just carry the supplies there myself!" I pouted

"You're welcome to try." Said Tails.

I pouted as hard as could and Tails simply smiled. I couldn't say no to that cute little face, all in all he's still just a kid.

"Okay, if it's for the kids, I'll go."

"Great!" said the elated fox.

* * *

It's been several hours since we stared towards Sanctuary and I sure those trucks are getting slower and slower. I ran up to the truck up front. The driver was a black bear in a cute little trucker hat.

"How much longer?" I asked.

"We should see the mountains just past this hill, what's the matter little lady? Bored?"

"Don't call me little." I growled.

As we reached the top of the hill I could see the peaks of the mountains. Those mountains are what make Sanctuary safe. Rotor said it has something to do with concentrated mineral deposits jamming radars and the plantation being too thick to see from above. I understood most of it, but I heard Sonic couldn't wrap his head around it.

"Not to be rude but I think I'll run ahead and tell them we're coming."

"Yeah you do that." Replied the bear.

* * *

I ran ahead as fast as I could. Past the cave through the mountains. Past the steel bridge over the gorge. Past the hills, trees, and more hills. Then I found it, a little sign that reads 'Welcome to Sanctuary'. I can already hear the wind blowing through the trees, the birds singing their lovely songs, the children's loud and cheerful…silence? Something was wrong, where are all the children? The guards? The teachers? Where is everyone?

I headed deeper into Sanctuary, I wish I hadn't. All the huts, the school, the playgrounds, they were all burned to crisps. I fell to my knees at the horror, tears rolling down my cheeks.

"Little lady, what's wrong?" asked the bear as he and the rest drove up.

"Oh." He said as he looked past me. Sanctuary was destroyed.


	3. ch3 Our Heroes, ladies and gentlemen

I can't believe this. Sanctuary burning? I must be dreaming. This, unfortunately, is no dream. Even now I am driving through the hillside, the pedal to the metal, towards the unsafe haven. Even now, I see the smoke rising from the mountains towards the skies like Beelzebub himself lingering over heaven. Even now, I grow more and more worried.

I near the cave to the fallen dream.

"Halt" shouted a dirty looking bear with a dumb hat.

My truck crawled to a halt, the bear, wielding nothing more than a crowbar, walked towards me. Five more Mobians follow at a distance.

"Let me through." I demanded

"Got a bit of a problem with that little man." He replied.

"That would be?"

"Well for starters I don't quite remember you, and second." He tapped the crowbar on my door. "Last I've seen a truck like this, they was under the not so good doctors command." He pointed the crowbar menacingly at me. "Which means you is bad company."

"I'm not here to cause trouble, I just want to go to Sanctuary."

"Well, you look harmless enough, perhaps with some 'persuasion' I might look the other way." The bear began rubbing his finger and thumb together, the universal sign for profit. I have money alright, but I am not giving it to him.

The bear was on the floor in pain as his nose slowly bleeds. I climbed out of the Scumbucket and gave a good look at my door. He's paying for that dent.

* * *

"Why you no good, yellow bellied hog. Get him!" roared the bear. His friends, armed with lead pipes and hammers, slowly closed in on me. I grabbed the crybabies crowbar and prepared for the worst.

"Now hold on there, sugars!" cried the kind of voice I did not expect to hear at a time like this, the voice of a woman. The Mobians turned as we watched a harvest gold rabbit with a nice cowboy hat emerged from the cave. With hair like that I'd say there's a salon in there.

"Now is that any way to treat a guest?" she said with a pout. The Mobians backed off, out of fear or respect is debatable. "Now then" she walked towards me with a shake in her hips. "What seems to be the problem sugar?"

"I need to get into Sanctuary"

"Why's that?"

"I have my reasons."

"We all got our reasons sweetie." She looked me in the eye and let out a smile. Her eyes show pride and independence. She's strong, very strong. "Come on, you can explain your reasons on the way, I'll see if it's good enough." She placed her hand on my shoulder, my slightly crushed shoulder. "Whoops, sorry sugar." I couldn't help but squeak in pain.

* * *

How did I not notice it earlier? The slim curves, the great calves, the beautiful hands. I'm in love… with her prosthetics. They were so well built, made for punishment, yet still looks good as new in the end. What's more is that they're adaptable. Her arm and legs are like cakes waiting for the icing and other tidbits to sweeten it up. Anything could be added to them for any occasion. I want to ask her where she got them but I don't even know her name! Where can I even start?

"I see you noticed my parts sugar. Like what you see?"

"I…err…umm." I mumbled

I was embarrassed. Blushing like a tomato.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to stare."

"It's alright, it tends to be the first thing people notice about me." Her prideful smile turned into a resentful frown. "A little gift from the famed doctor himself."

Of course it was too good to be true, this sweet apple came from a crooked tree.

"Course it isn't all bad." She said happily "sure has proven itself useful from time to time. Oh how silly of me, I never introduced myself. My name is Bunnie D'coolet, a freedom fighter."

"My name's Itchigan."

"I take it your friends call you Itchy?"

"Yeah."

I know of the freedom fighters. In fact at one point I tried to be one, but when I discovered the only job open was basically babysitting, I reconsidered.

"You never told me your reason sugar."

"I left my brother here."

"Why on Mobius did you leave your brother here?" she began to grow upset.

"Look at me!" I exclaimed "I can barely take care of myself. I figured he would have a better future growing up here than with me. I'm no parent."

She took a long look at me. "Sounds like a proper parent to me." She smiled

I'll never understand women.

* * *

Sanctuary was a mess. All around me were burned homes and crying children. I could see toys slowly burning, playgrounds demolished, many Mobians injured young and old. It felt like my heart was going to explode. What had me worried the most, I don't see him.

"Here we are. Our base of operations." She motioned towards a damaged hut. Most of the roof was burnt.

"Is it safe?"

"Not sure, but beggars can be choosers right?"

We walked into the hut. Inside was a small table with folders of all sorts of information surrounded by a group of Mobians who were focused on a single chipmunk.

"From what we gathered, we were attacked by one battle ship, a big one." Said the chipmunk

"Was it…you know who?" asked another Mobian.

"No, if it was Eggman he would have sent a battalion, we wouldn't even be here." She looked upset at the thought. "The ship was odd colors, it's someone new. I can't figure out if this was a warning shot, or how they even found sanctuary."

"Sorry to interrupt sugar but we have a guest" said Bunnie.

Everyone turned their gaze to me. I hate being the center of attention.

"Oh, sorry Bunnie we were just wrapping up." She turned to the Mobians "all we can do now is rebuild and hope we aren't discovered by anyone else."

* * *

The other Mobians soon collected their things and headed out. Bunnie, the chipmunk, and I remain.

"Sorry for taking so long, my names Sally Acorn, I'm in charge here."

I know I keep saying she's a chipmunk but looking at her closely, she seems to have squirrel cheeks. Also she's a redhead. Not a lot of those around anymore.

"This rugged little sweetie is Itchy." Said Bunnie

"Then he should probably scratch it" said Sally

I know the girls were just having fun but as they giggle at the little joke, I can't help but feel my blood rushing to my cheeks.

"So why are you here?" asked Sally

"This poor little darling is worried about his little brother." Said Bunnie

"I can offer some help if you want it, but could you please find him?" I asked

"Your help is appreciated. We'll look for your brother but we'll need his surname." Said Sally

"Featherworth, his last names Featherworth."

"Alright, we'll find him, but now we need to keep idle hands busy." She grabbed a clipboard from the table and looked through a list. "Let's see what you can do."

* * *

I'm really hoping this doesn't take long. Here I am with my box of tools fixing toys. I'll admit it leaves a good feeling when a child walks away happy with their repaired toys but damn it I'm one of the best mechanic in Robotropolis! The plaque I got back home says so. Where could he be? I'm sure I've seen every kid in Sanctuary but no sign of him.

"Excuse me, Mr. Toy doctor?" a young cobra walked up to me with a toy snake in her hand. "Can you fix Ms. Slithers?" She handed me the multi-segment toy. She…it was in half and the tail was locked with a bent pin.

"No problem kid" I removed the tail end and bent the pin back to working order. I then fused the broken joints from the two halves with my blowtorch and cooled it down with a water bottle. "Done"

"Well isn't that sweet?" said a familiar voice. I looked behind the little cobra and saw a recent face. The hedgehog from before. "I didn't know you were good with kids."

"Sonny right?

"It's Sonar, but you were close Itchy."

"What are you doing here?"

Her smile faded as she stared off into space. Her eyes were red.

"I was the one who found Sanctuary like this.

"I'm sorry to hear that."

To hear about a broken dream is sad as is, but to see it happen must be heart wrenching.

"It's okay, no one was hurt and we're already making progress."

That brought some peace to mind.

"So then what are you doing?" I asked

"Oh that's right. Sally wanted me to get you. She said it's about your brother."

That's all I needed to hear. I headed towards the hut hoping to see my brother inside.

* * *

"We have a problem" said a very serious looking Sally

"Look here sugar." Bunnie handed me a…Gameboy? "This is a list of all the children in Sanctuary." A list of names scrolled across the screen

"Almost everyone is accounted for, except for five kids. Nicole, display the images of the missing children."

"Yes Sally" said the game boy, which surprised me.

"Oh I'm sorry" said Sally "this is Nicole, an advance AI and our good friend."

Amazing. Most AI's even today require large amounts of power and something this advance would need an entire city. Yet here it is in what looks like an old sixteen bit console.

"Now displaying images." Said Nicole

Five pictures scrolled across the screen. A cat, a squirrel, a blue jay, a hedgehog, and a chameleon. It's as I feared, I stared this picture long and hard and there's no denying it's him.

"Where did they go?" asked Sonar

"We don't know, but we looked into it, and we discovered something else." Sally tossed a picture of a giant gray blimp, bigger than anything I've ever seen. "This is the ship that attacked Sanctuary. When it arrived it began dropping napalm destroying most of the plantation, but this may have been nothing more than a distraction." She tossed crude drawings on the table clearly drawn by children. They all shared a haunting image of a gray figure with blue eyes surrounded by fire. "Some of the children are claiming they saw 'metal monsters' walking around Sanctuary during the bombing."

"Are they from the ship?" I asked

"No, there were no reports of anything other than napalm coming down. It confused us too, until we found these." she tossed more photos on the table, this time showing large holes in the ground. They are nowhere near natural. "One of our construction workers accidently opened one and revealed a network of tunnels underneath Sanctuary. They must've tunneled underneath and used the attack as a diversion."

"All this destruction just to kidnap innocent children, those brutes!" raged Bunnie

I couldn't believe it. Has my brother been snatched up by these bustards? Maybe he would have been safer with me instead.

"Well if we know where the tunnels are, then why don't we just go after them?" asked Sonar

"The tunnels are a labyrinth, they knew what they were doing and they made sure no one could follow them. Plus they could still be down there or they could have left booby traps. We would never see it coming." Explained Sally

No one said anything as Sonar pointed at her ears. Sally smiled

"That's it! Sonar, you could navigate the tunnels for us."

I was left with a confused look on my face.

"But sugar we can't send everyone down there, they'll see us coming a mile away." Cautioned Bunnie

"That's why we're the only ones going." Said Sally "you, Sonar, and me."

"I'll go too." I blurted out

"No offence Sugar but we can't bring civilians along. It's much too dangerous." Said Bunnie

"Look, I appreciate your concern but my brother's on the line. I left him here thinking that he would be better off her and he'd never need me. Now the one time he does and you expect me to just sit here and wait? I can't stand the idea of waiting in the sidelines while those bastards are doing who knows what to my little bro!"

"I vote we take him." Said Sonar

"Seconded" said Bunnie

"And I make three, besides we may need a mechanic down there. Now here, put this on." Sally handed me a watch with a lot of buttons. "That's a standard issue communicator. All freedom fighters must wear it at all times."

"What are you saying?" I asked

"Like Bunnie said, we can't bring civilians along. We only take freedom fighters."

"Welcome to the team!" Sonar cheered with a thumbs up.

"Alright everyone" said Sally "lets save those kids!"

"I'll alert HQ." Said Bunnie

"I'll pack our supplies." Said Sonar

"And I'll…oh they left already." I stood there in the empty hut alone. "Guess I'll get my tool box."

I headed out, ready to embark on my first, and hopefully last, adventure.


	4. Chapter 4: Sonar Underground

"It sure is dark down here." Said Bunnie

These tunnels are huge, how did no one notice them? They really knew what they were doing. I must've checked at least ten holes till I found one that wasn't a dead end. I guess being me had its advantages.

We walked for about ten minutes until the tunnel branched off into three separate tunnel.

"Sonar, which tunnel should we take?" asked Sally

I gave out a pulse "that way." I pointed at the tunnel to the far right.

To me, Sally is a natural born leader. Ever since things went downhill, she always had a cool head about things. She's quite a role model.

"I still can't wrap my head around why those monsters went through all this trouble to kidnap children." Wondered Bunnie

Bunnie is the definition of a good friend. She's loyal, honest, and always tries to lighten the mood when things get gloomy. I'm glad she's with us.

"I say we ask them after we finish bashing their heads in." growled Itchy with a lantern in one hand and a huge box in the other.

Itchy…I don't know, I haven't known him long enough to have a fair opinion of him. He's a bit messy and could use a shower, he uses a lot of big words, he fixes things, and he's good with kids. Maybe if he smiled once in a while he wouldn't look so mean.

* * *

We reached another fork in the tunnel. I gave out another pulse and listened carefully

"What's the matter, you hungry or something?" asked Itchy

"No, why do you ask?" I asked

"Your mouths been hanging open this whole trip."

"She's just using her sonar sugar." Explained Bunnie

"Her what now?" asked Itchy

"Haven't you noticed my ears?" I asked

"Oh yeah, they seem awfully large for a hedgehog."

"That's because they're bat ears. My grandpa was a fruit bat." Cross species relationships aren't unheard of, nor are they looked down upon.

"Oh I get it. You're releasing sonar into the tunnel from your throat into the tunnel which you then map out with your ears."  
"Yeah pretty much." Normally I would be the one explaining it. Speaking of sonar. "Guys, there's something up ahead. It's big, really big."

"How far is it?" asked Sally

"About two miles down. It doesn't seem to be moving."

"Then let's keep moving." Ordered Sally

* * *

We've been walking for some time. Normally I would have just ran ahead but I can't leave my friends blind in the dark.

"If only Sonic were here." I muttered.

"If Sonic were here, he would've left without us." Giggled Bunnie

"Who's Sonic?"

No one said a word. We only stared, confused at Itchys question.

"What do you mean who's Sonic?"

"I mean just that. Who's this Sonic guy you're talking about?"

We could explain who Sonic is, but we were to bewildered as to how a Robotropolis inhabitant, which must be covered in Sonics wanted posters, doesn't know about the blue blur. Itchy reached into his pocket and pulled out…Nicole?"

"Hey Nicole, could you tell me who Sonic is?"

"Now showing 'Sonic the Hedgehog."

"Wait, how did you get Nicole?" said Sally as she frisked through her pockets.

"You left her with me back at the hut. You should take better care of your things." Scolded Itchy.

"Oh, I'm sorry Nicole."

"Apology accepted Sally."

* * *

We've been walking for about half an hour. Sally and Bunnie have been discussing plans and theories while Itchy has had his eyes glued to Nicole's screen.

"Man this guy has been through hell and back. He's a walking danger zone and guys hang out with him?"

"Sugar we hang out with him **because **he's a danger zone. He needs his friends whether he thinks so or not." Explained Bunnie

"We probably would've lost the war already if it wasn't for him, and he wouldn't even be around if it wasn't for us."

"Don't you have any friends like that?" I asked

"I don't have any friends." He said

I couldn't remember the last time I didn't have any friends. My oldest memory was back at kindergarten when a couple of bullies kept taunting me for my ears. Then Sonic came along and taught them a lesson, and then taught me a lesson about being proud of who I am. No amount of anything could ever repay him for what he did. I feel bad for Itchy.

"Wait, hold on team." Ordered Sally. Up ahead was a bright light coming from a large vehicle. In front of it was a huge cone shaped object.

"A drill! That's how they dug under Sanctuary!" I shouted.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's smash it!" Itchy ran ahead, but was pulled back by Bunnie

"Hold on Sugar. Sonar, is there anyone around it?"

"No, it's just the drill." I double checked.

"They must be inside. Itchy, we can't have the drill driving off so why don't you deactivate the engine?"

"With pleasure." Itchy ran off with the box and the lantern towards the back of the drill

"Girls, lets teach them a lesson." Said Sally

We quietly walked towards the side and reached a door. I gave a listen, nothing. Bunnie grabbed the door by the handle and ripped it off the hinges.

"Freeze!" Shouted Sally. They didn't move, but not because they were following orders. There are three of them. Two at the friend sprawled over the dashboard while another was in front of us holding out his arm as if reaching for help. Each of them were wearing black armor and a helmet with glowing blue visors.

"Get out!" we were pulled away by Itchy

"What's wrong?" I asked "I thought you were killing the engines?"

"I didn't need to, plus I found this." He held up a canister with a hazard symbol decal and with a tube sticking out of one end. "This canister had Hydrogen Sulfide being pumped into the drill. It's highly toxic."

I screamed as loud as I could. Not because of the toxins, but because something just grabbed my tail. We turned to see the 'metal monster' climbing out of the drill.

"Quick, get him out of there!" Ordered Sally

We dragged him out of the drill and removed his helmet. He wasn't a monster or anything. He was a Mobian squirrel, and he looked about seventeen, about as old as me.

"I…was just…following orders." He muttered

"Sweetie save your breath we need to get you help." Said Bunnie

"It's too late, he breathed in too much toxins." Said Itchy

I looked him in the eye. His face was pale and his eyes were blood shot. "Who did this to you?"

"NEXGEN…NEXGEN." He muttered.

"We're going to get you to safety just stay with us." I held his hand.

"Thank…you." He let loose his final breath.

* * *

I was horrified. Sure he may have kidnapped children, but he was so young, and I couldn't help but just stand there and let him die.

Itchy lit up his blowtorch.

"Are we in any danger of being poisoned?" asked Sally

"The flame should burn up the Toxin, so long as we don't take too many deep breaths we'll be fine."

"We can't just leave him here!" I cried. "He needs a proper burial."

"Sugar I completely agree but first we need to know where this drill was heading and who killed him." Said Bunnie "I promise we'll pay him respect once we're done here."

"Bunnie if I may interrupt, I believe I could help with that.' All eyes were on Itchy.

"What? I didn't say anything?"

"I did." Itchy reached into his pocket and pulled out Nicole "I detect a GPS device inside the drill. If I could look at its history, I should be able to locate where it came from."

Itchy handed Nicole to Sally "Is all the gas gone?" she asked

Itchy reached into his box and pulled out an ugly blue rag. "Not sure, but if you use this as a mask and take short breaths, you'll last long enough"

The idea of having that on our face was disgusting

"Sonar, why don't you do it?" said Sally

"There is no way I'm putting that on my face!" I shouted

"You don't have to put it on your face if you move quickly." Said Bunnie. I hate to say it but she's right.

Sally handed me Nicole and I rushed inside and quickly attached Nicole to the GPS while trying not to touch the bodies.

"Now downloading GPS history." That was my cue to get out of there.

"Well?" asked Bunnie

"Nicole will tell us when she's ready." Said Sally.

"She better hurry, I think we got company!" Itchy was looking at a few pebbles bouncing up and down. Then we felt the tunnel shake furiously.

"Warning!" said Nicole "Multiple objects headed in our direction."

"It must be more drills!" said Sally. Suddenly, the drills began penetrating the tunnel from multiple directions. "There's too many, we got to

hide!"

"Itchy, turn off that light" Bunnie ordered. Itchy turned off the lantern. "Now everybody, hide behind the drill!"

* * *

We stood silently as more armored Mobians appeared from the drill. I can hear at least twelve of them with my sonar. I can see each of them with an oddly shaped object around their waist. I don't even have to look to figure out they're guns.

"What a waste of a perfectly good drill." Said one of the monsters

"Hey look! Isn't that Richard?" said another.

"Yeah it is, he always did have a pretty face." There was a loud bang "not anymore you dumbass!"

"Hey look on the bright side, he was good for something. He's a good example of what happens when you don't do your one job and check your damn engines."

I couldn't help but cry. Who would do such a thing?

"Itchy" whispered Sally "What was wrong with the engines?"

"It was no accident I'll tell you that." He pulled out a bent wrench "Someone jabbed the engine with this."

Now I was furious. Calling them monsters would be an insult to monsters everywhere

"Hey check it out! One of them left a Gameboy on the dashboard!"

"Is it gobble boy? I love gobble boy!"

"Oh no! We left Nicole in there" Sally whispered "If anything happens to her…"

"Don't worry Sally, I have a plan." I looked around the corner of the drill to see one of them with his back turned. I cupped my hands around my mouth and let out a little whisper.

"Hey! Which of you fags said I had a fat ass?" said my target.

It's an old bat trick my Grandpa taught me. He was one of the best ventriloquist on Mobius.

"Your mama has a fat ass" said another

"You wanna tussle with me funny guy?

"Please, I'll kick your ass any day of the week."

Suddenly there was of sound of metal hitting metal followed by a huge thud on the ground. As the brawl escalated, my team looked at me funny.

"What? I just said he had a big butt."

* * *

Sally began coming up with a plan "We can't have those drills operational or else they could cause trouble. Itchy, can you deal with them?"

"No problem" He ran off and hid in the shadows towards the Drill.

"Sonar, can you retrieve Nicole?'

"I'm on it."

"Bunnie and I will stay here and surprise them should there be trouble."

I curled up and spun as fast as I could against the wall of the drill and eventually broke through.

"Nicole?" I whispered "are you done?"

"Yes Sonar, you may now safely disconnect me."

"All right, let's get out of here.'

"But you just got here." I was grabbed by the neck by the voice behind me and dragged out of the drill. "Hey boys it looks like we got ourselves a stowaway."

"Ooh, she's pretty."

"She's much too old to be a kid from Sanctuary, she must be a freedom fighter. The boss said not to tussle with them."

"Who cares it's just one of them, the boss will never know. I say we have a little fun with her."

They started crowding around me planning who knows what. I was so scared I couldn't think, my heart was racing. I closed my eyes and let out the biggest scream I could muster. All went silent.

I opened my eyes and became confused at what I witnessed. Each and every one of them looked like dolls tossed aside by a giant hand. To ground and front of me looked like it was dug out growing wider and deeper as it got further from me.

"Sonar!"

An object flew over my head and struck my captor on the helmet. I took the chance and curled up, spinning as fast as I could and tossing him towards the wall. I looked at the object, it was the wrench.

"Sonar, are you okay?" Itchy ran towards me covered in oil. "I was just about to bust the last drill when I heard this loud boom." He looked at the tossed grunts "Wow, what happened? It looks like a frat party gone horribly wrong."

"I don't know, I think I did that."

"The frat party?"

"No! The boom."

"Hold it right there girly!" I turned to see two more holding Bunnie and Sally hostage with guns to their heads. "You best quit while you're ahead and while they still got theirs."

"You think you can do it again?" asked Itchy

"I don't even know how I did it the first time."

"Well you're going to have to try, I got the one on the left." Itchy raised his arm revealing his blowtorch with a canister loosely screwed on the tip. He pulled the trigger, sending the canister flying like a rocket towards the one holding Bunnie. At the last moment, she ducked allowing the makeshift rocket to strike the grunt, exploding and sending him towards the wall of the tunnel. I looked at the one holding Sally and let loose the loudest scream I had. I stood there embarrassed as everyone just looked at me funny. Not wanting to wait any longer, Sally grabbed the grunt by the helmet and flipped him over her shoulder followed by a swift kick by Bunnie.

"Is that all of them?" asked Sally

"I think so." I answered

"Sorry we couldn't help sugar, they got us when they got you." Said Bunnie

Itchy grabbed the downed grunt by his armor. "You got ten seconds to spill the beans or else."

"Or else what?" said the grunt.

"Or else…" Itchy put the blowtorch against the grunts head "I'll cook you in your own armor." He lit the torch and the helmet slowly started turning red.

"You're not really going to kill him are you?" I whispered. He looked at me and gave a quick shake meaning no before the grunt noticed.

"Okay, okay I'll talk!"

"Then start talking." Said Sally

"All I know is that they call themselves NEXGEN and that they are working on something so big, it would take both Eggman and the freedom fighters out of commission."

"And what about the kids?" asked Sally

"A train, the boss mentioned a train!"

"Who's your boss?" asked Itchy

"That would be me." A loud bang echoed in the tunnel along with Itchys pain induced yell. He fell over and seized moving as the bullet gouged itself into his back. We turned to see the culprit. He came coming out of one of the drills, probably hiding till the right moment to come out and attack while he let his troops take the fall. His visor was glowed red and on his shoulder was a decal of an N and a G.

"Good luck getting any more information out of my team." He pulled out and activated a small button. The tunnel was again filled with the sound of screaming, this time from the grunts as every last one of them began shaking rapidly until they shook no more, smoke and the smell of burnt flesh left their armor.

"You killed your own men?!" said Sally

"They were weak, useless to the cause and so are you." He pointed his gun at us. "Accept maybe you." He then pointed it at me "that was an interesting trick you just pulled. I'm sure the lab boys would love to figure out how you did it as they rip out your vocal cords."

I was frightened. Sure I could just dash away but what about the others?

"Just one question" Sally asked "What do you plan on doing with the children?"

He didn't answer, he just looked at us like a wolf looking at a dying deer.

"You're Sally Acorn yes? I must say this is quite an honor your majesty."

"The feeling is not mutual." She answered.

"All I can tell you is that they will be granted the honor of seeing a bright new future, a future you yourself had also been hoping for, but unfortunately won't be around to see. Good night your majesty."

"Good night!" the boss's head quickly tilted back as blood spewed out of the new hole in his visor. We looked back to see Itchy on the ground with the dead grunts smoking gun in his hand. "Okay, now I'm a murderer."

"It's okay Itchy, it was self-defense and we're very grateful." Said Sally

"Think there will be any more of them?" I thought out loud.

"If so, we best move out." Said Bunnie

Sally ran into the first drill and received Nicole "Nicole, did you get what we need?"

"Yes Sally, if we can find an operational drill, we could track down their last coordinates."

"I didn't get all the drills, there should still be one left." Said Itchy. He led us towards the only working drill and we climbed inside.

"Does anyone know how to drive this thing?" asked Sally

"Our brave little soldier here can drive a truck." Bunnie nudged Itchy on the shoulder

"It's not exactly the same as a truck but I'll see what I can do." Itchy sat down on the driver's seat and winced as more blood poured out of his back. He took a quick look around and began flipping switches.

"Where are we going?" I asked

"Calculating destination." Said Nicole

"Where ever it is, prepare for a battle!" ordered Sally

The drill began to spin as it drilled through the tunnel. Next stop, the Pain Train.


	5. Chapter 5: Itchys Lament

An abandoned warehouse, this was all we found. Sonar may have been right, there probably were more of them, and they were here in this warehouse, but they've already flown the coop.

"We're too late" said an upset Sonar "they must've known we were coming."

I took a look around. I could see wires and generators, but no important equipment or clues.

"Looks like we hit a dead end." I muttered

"Not true" encouraged Sally "we still have the drills and the deceased soldiers. With time, I'm sure we could track down this 'NEXGEN'."

"So what do we just wait?" I complained

Bunnie grabbed my shoulder gently "Sugar I know you're worried but we can't rush into this."

"There must be something I could do?" I asked

"There is, go home and get some rest" Ordered Sally "In the mean time we'll get our best Mobians on the case. You on the other hand need to get that wound mended."

I had almost forgotten about the bullet in my back, probably because the area has gotten slightly numb.

"I promise we'll contact you if we find anything we'll contact you. Sonar, can you take him home?"

"Roger Sally" Sonar gave a little salute and gave me her shoulder.

"What about my truck?" I asked.

"Don't worry sugar, we'll get someone to deliver it to you tomorrow." Assured Bunnie

"What about you guys?" asked Sonar.

"We'll stay here and contact HQ, there must be something here we could use." said Sally.

"Are you ready?" asked Sonar.

"Ready for what?" I asked. Suddenly sonar lifted me off the ground and ran as fast as she could, faster than anything I've ever gone. The feeling of weightlessness came over me as my stomach went into my throat. I think I'm going to be sick

* * *

"This is the place right?" asked Sonar

I dared to open my eyes and looked up at the motel. With my eyes closed the whole trip, I had to give her directions solely by memory. Looks like we did a good job.

"Yep, this is the place." I climbed out of her arms and walked towards the motels elevator.

"Do you need any help?" she asked

"No, I'll be fine." I reached into my pocket and looked for my keys as I walked into the elevator. A jolt of pain ran down my back like lightning. Sonar rushed to my aid.

"I think you need help."  
"Fine." I grunted. I pressed the fifth floor button as I laid my weight on her shoulder. I hate being a burden.

* * *

We entered reached my apartment and she laid me on the couch. Seconds passed as she took a good look around.

"Seems…cozy."

"You need glasses." I replied.

"I was just trying to be nice." She pouted.

Another minute passed until she grabbed a picture frame lying on the table.

"Is this your family?" the picture she held had a female hedgehog with a dress, a male with a suit, a baby in jammies, and me at the age of thirteen.

"Actually no, that's the placeholder that came with the frame."

"But you're in it?"

"I needed the money."

She placed the frame back on the table and stayed silent for a few seconds.

"You know, you could just ask nicely." I said

"Ask what?" she replied.

"About me." I answered

"Okay, where are you from?"

"Grand Metropolis."

"Grand Metropolis? The electric city? How'd you end up in Robotropolis?"

"You get one guess."

Sonar gave it a long thought as I began searching the kitchen for a clean butter knife and some sanitizer.

"You worked for a company that went out of business?" she guessed.

"Wrong. It's big, red, and has the world's ugliest moustache."

"But Eggman never got control over Grand Metropolis. Sonic and his friends made sure of that."

"Yeah I heard about that. He tried to bribe the city with its own power. But that was a few years ago, I was lost my home far before that."

"I'm all ears." Sonar gave a smile as I looked as I searched for some bandages.

"My father owned a robotics company, top of the class machinery, but he didn't make weapons, he made prosthetics." I grabbed some pliers from my tool kit and sat down on the couch. "Naturally my father wanted me to take over when he retired, so he made me take college level classes at the young age of four with a major in engineering. Most kids waited till Christmas for their toys, I built mine. Kinda made the holiday awkward." I started wiping the pliers and knife with the sanitizer.

"I guess Eggman wanted the company?" Sonar asked

"No, he wanted my father. He threatened my dad plenty of times for the company but he never budged. Eventually Eggman heard about me and how my Dad taught me everything he knew into my little head and decided to use me to get what he wanted."

"I don't get it, Eggman already had an army of robots, and he has the roboticizer. What did your father have that Eggman Wanted?"

"Metallic Biomass."

"Metallic what?"  
"Living metal, metal that learns. My father was working on a formula to create it and make the greatest brand of prosthetics that would look and feel like the real deal." I held back the pain in my heart "he attacked us at night, captured everyone, and robotized my parent's right in front of us."

"Us?"

"Me and my brother. He was so young I doubt he has any memory of it. We only managed to escape because my father EMP'd the entire building, giving us time to escape. After that I put my brother in Sanctuary and decided to live in Robotropolis. Right under the fat man's nose."  
"Wow, you sure have gone through a lot."

"Yup, now that you asked me something personal, it's only fair that I ask you something."

"What?"

I handed her the knife and the pliers "could you get this bullet out of my back, the hospitals around here sucks."

"Uhh…sure, why not?"

I turned my back towards her and put a piece of cloth in my mouth.

"Don't be afraid to really dig in there." I mumbled through the cloth.

Musting up her courage, she dug in. it hurt, but I've felt worse.


	6. Chapter 6: out of the frying pan

How About an Adventure? : CH.6 out of the frying pan…

"I don't think I'll be getting a medical license any time soon."

After about ten minutes trying to get the bullet out and applying some medical bandages, I ran into the shower to get the blood off. When I got out, Itchy had already cleaned the blood off the couch and had put on a black hoodie with a bee on his chest.

"What's with the jacket?" I asked

"The first one was all torn up." He answered

"I know that, I meant where did you get it?"

"I bought it at a garage sale."

I couldn't help but giggle at how silly he looked in it. I checked his bandages and made sure his wound is properly covered. Hours passed and it started getting dark.

"I better get going" I said "It's getting late, but I'll be back tomorrow."

"Don't waste your time, you should stick with HQ and help with the investigation." He replied

I walked through the doorway and looked back at him. "I'll be back tomorrow morning, I promise." I ran off towards New Mobotropolis and reached my hut in about an hour. I checked my computer for new emails and updates. Nothing new. I headed into the bedroom and grabbed my sketch pad from my desk and spent an hour doodling until I succumb to the sudden gentle texture of desk.

* * *

The next morning seemed pretty normal. As always I woke up on my desk next to a puddle of drool (how embarrassing) and I took a quick shower. After eating a bowl of cereal, I headed towards the pharmacy and bought some clean bandages to keep my promise. I ran through a local park on my way towards Robotropolis when suddenly I was waved down by a pink hedgehog and I stopped on a dime. It none other was Amy Rose

"Hello Sonar."

"Hello Amy." Amy is a really nice girl, most of the time. Her heart's usually in the right place, the same can't always be said about her head. "Is there something you need?"

"I just have one question, have you heard any news from Sonic?"

"No, sorry Amy." She frowned at my answer. It's no secret that Amy has a huge crush on Sonic and sees every girl that gets close to him as a threat. "Is that all?"

"Actually I'm not the only one with a question, come on out Cream!" she shouted towards a bed of flowers just a bit behind her.

A pair of large peach ears and a small yellow orb popped out of the bed and started towards us. Out came Cream the Rabbit and Cheese the Chao covered in flowers

"Good morning Ms. Sonar." Said Cream as Cheese placed a little flower crown on my head.

To me, Cream is the princess of cuteness, the duchess of politeness, and the spirit of kindness. I could just eat her up.

"Go ahead Cream, ask her." Amy compelled. Cream seemed like she was awfully worried.

"Ms. Sonar, my mother lets me go to Sanctuary sometimes so that I can play with the other children there. I made a lot of friends there, but when I heard Sanctuary was attacked I can't help but worry about my friends" she looked at me with teary eyes that I couldn't look at without feeling guilty. It's no surprise the news of Sanctuary had spread, it's not something easily ignored.

"No one was hurt Cream, everyone's okay." I assured.

"What about those who went missing?" she asked. I guess everyone's heard about that too.

"I can't really answer that, but I promise you we'll find them. Itchy and I are on the case!"

"Itchy? Who's Itchy?" Amy asked "is there a boy you're not telling us about?"

"No! That's not it at all!" I blushed. I must've let out his name by mistake

"It's okay, your secrets safe with us." She joked. She can be really annoying. Though I guess it's a good thing she reminded me.

"Oh my gosh I nearly forgot!" I pulled out the bandages from my pocket "I was supposed to deliver these to him!"

"Is he hurt?" Cream asked.

"Well he got shot in the back but he should be alright." I answered.

"He got shot in the back and you're just sitting here talking about it?" Amy shouted.

"Ms. Sonar, you have to get those bandages to Mr. Itchy!" said Cream.

"Well I was going too but…"

"You just let us stop you?" Amy began getting angry. Did I mention she can get annoying?

"Look I'll go right now, I can hurry to make up time."

"Not without us!" Amy grabbed my arm "I want to meet this guy personally." Did I say she can get annoying? I meant she can get **really **annoying.

"I'm going too." Cream grabbed my other arm. "I want to thank Mr. Itchy personally."

"What are we waiting for? Let's go!" Amy ordered. Maybe she was right. Maybe I should've just ignored her.

* * *

We reached Robotropolis in about an hour and a half. It would've been one hour but I had to deal with the extra weight and Cheese had to use the little Chaos room.

"This place stinks." Said Amy "Is this Eggmans idea of a perfect world?"

"It's so sad and colorless. It makes me want to cry." Cream was right. I'm rarely ever in Robotropolis and I try to avoid it all together. To finally get a good look around. I see nothing but tortured souls left to rot after Eggman had sucked them dry. The city was gray and the sky was covered in smog while the streets were covered in litter. All this while Eggman is **not** here.

We stopped at bus stop so that I can get my bearings and let my feet rest from the extra weight. There was a homeless boar sitting next to the bus stop that seems to have caught Creams attention.

"Hello." She said. The boar was startled at the sudden sweetness in her voice.

"Beat it kid, this town's no place for a little girl like you."

Cream reached into her pocket and pulled out a dollar coin. "My mother gave me this for being a good girl and said to use it responsibly. I said I didn't want it but she gave it to me anyway." She handed the coin to the boar. "You need it more than I do."

"Wow" said the boar "that's very nice of you. You know, an innocent little girl such as yourself really shouldn't be in a horrid town like this. Kind people should live in kind homes." The boar said in a much nicer tone than before.

Is that why Robotropolis is how it is? Lack of kindness? No wonder why Itchy seems so grumpy.

"Come on, I know where we have to go." I grabbed the girls and ran towards the motel.

"Wow, the pollutions so thick I can't see much past this smog." Said Amy.

"That's not smog, that's smoke!" said Cream.

* * *

The motel is on fire! People are crowding around the burning building as smoke rose into the air. Many Mobians were dragged out of the blaze by firefighters and treated for by paramedics. I looked at the crowd and the injured but I don't see him.

"He must still be inside!" I shouted "we need to get him out of there!"

"How do we do that? Amy asked.

I looked at every possible path I could take. Each of them were either blocked by the fire or by debris. I looked for Itchys apartment. The fire hasn't reached it.

"Launch me!" I ordered

"What?" Amy shouted.

"Use your hammer to launch me towards his apartment!" I explained.

"Are you crazy? What if I miss and launch you into the fire?"

"I trust you, I trust that you can do it." I grabbed her hands and looked into her eyes. "Trust me on this." She paused for only a second until she pulled out her famous Piko-Piko hammer and raised it above her head until it was parallel with the ground.

"Get on!" she shouted.

I hopped on the hammer and looked at Cream. "When we get out, I need you to give us a lift."

"I promise." She said with a serious tone.

"Which floor?" Amy asked

"The fifth floor on the right side." She spared no time and launched me towards the burning building at amazing speeds. I knew she was strong but not this strong.

* * *

After I recollected myself from a nasty crash I ran towards his apartment and kicked down the door. The apartment was engulfed in flames and the roof had collapsed burying most of the room. I yelled out to him and looked all over but he was nowhere to be seen. Did he already escape?

"He...help." a voice came from under a support beam on top of the couch. I tried to dig him out but the fire was devouring it.

"Hold your breath, I'm going to try something!" I ran around the debris as fast as I could creating a small vortex and removing the air which slowly extinguishing the fire. I pulled off the support beam and held out my hand which was immediately met by another. I shouted in pain as my hand was crushed by the other and was soon brought to my knees. A figure that was definitely not Itchy climbed out of the debris, he looked just like the grunts from the tunnel.

"Thanks for saving me. As a reward, I'll make it quick and painless." He punched me towards the ground and pulled out his gun while I could only stare. He stomped on my stomach as hard as I could to make sure I didn't move and was instantly launched out of the apartment and off the building. I laid there surprised. It was the same boom like in the tunnel. I took a mental note of this situation, this may be useful.

"Sonar…help!" I heard a cry come from the kitchen. I find Itchy laying on the ground covered in cuts and holding a large knife not normally found in the kitchen. He was trapped by a large piece of the roof. "He tried to kill me in my sleep and burn down the building to cover it up. He would have gotten away with it but the fire caught up to him and the roof collapsed on us."

I picked him up from the wreckage and helped him out the door. There was fire in all directions.

"How are we going to get down?" he asked.

"Like this." I put my fingers in my mouth and whistled as loud as I could. From the sky we could see Cream descending towards us.

* * *

Cream brought us safely towards the crowd. She panted heavily and was sweating. I can't thank her enough.

"What happened up there?" Amy asked "there was a huge explosion and the whole apartment blew up!"

"We ran into some trouble but we're fine" I answered.

"I'm not." Itchy collapsed and the paramedics swarmed towards us but he simply waved them off. "I'll be fine. I just need some painkillers." You have to respect his endurance.

"What happened to him?" I asked.

"Who?" Cream replied.

"Didn't you see that guy get blasted out of the apartment?"

"All we saw was a bunch of junk sent flying." Amy answered.

"Does anyone else hear that?" Creams ears were perked towards a sound of an engine coming from the distance. The crowd separated as a motorcycle ripped past us. The grunt, his armor dented, was driving.

"Oh no!" Amy cried. We looked back and see panic on her face as Cheese cried next to her, but where was Cream? "He took her! He kidnapped poor little Cream!" I looked towards the grunt drove off, then at Itchy.

"What are you waiting for? Get after him!"

Without a word, I gave chase.

* * *

I managed to catch up to the grunt. He drove recklessly through the streets, almost hitting other vehicles on the way. All while holding Cream by her ears as she cried in fear. He drove towards an alley, a dead end. What's he planning? I followed him, but he was nowhere to be seen.

"Help!" Creams cry came from above. I was surprised to see the motorcycle climbing up the building. I now noticed the wheels weren't made of rubber, but seemed metallic and now have curved barbs burrowing in the building. I spared no time and began climbing the fire escape towards the roof and continued the chase on the rooftop. We hopped from roof to roof, block to block, it felt like this chase could go on forever. Soon we ran out of building and continued the chase on the road. I began to close in slowly. Inch by inch I got closer, but he didn't like that. Out of nowhere, he threw Cream at me of all things! I caught her in time but the distraction did its job and I tumbled and rolled to a halt as the grunt drove away. There's no way I can catch up to him now…and he just got hit by a truck.

"Uh guys? I think we hit someone."

"I'm telling you I know what I'm doing!"  
"But do you know **where** you're going?"

The Mobians climbed out of the black truck bickering quite loudly.

"I say we should've taken a left at Maine!"

"Well I say you're not in any position to talk, mister 'I got lost in a supermarket'!"

"You swore you would never speak of that! In blood!"

"Guys I seriously think we hit someone!"

"How did you get lost in a super market anyway?"

"Our little 'friend' dropped a bag of flour in my eyes. I couldn't see anything!" the chameleon looked like he was going to pop a blood vessel as he argued with the crocodile.

"Oh hey Cream!" said the bee.

"Cream!?" said the crocodile.

"Maybe we can ask her for directions." Said the chameleon.

"I guess I could help, where are you going?" she asked.

"We're trying to get to the Sunshine Motel to deliver this truck for Sally. She said it belongs to some guy named Mickey." The Crocodile asked

"Actually it's Itchy, and that's my truck." I turned to see Itchy, Amy, and Cheese running towards us. Well, more Like Amy was running and Itchy was limping. He looked very pale. "That's the Scumbucket alright. I take it Sally sent you?"

"Hold on there, we can't give you the truck without proper authorization, its company policy." The crocodile held out his hand.

"Well, policies are there for a reason I suppose" Itchy pulled out his wallet and showed them his driver's license.

"Well, everything checks out, except for that huge hole on your license." We looked at the License and its recently added hole, then towards the grunt as he stood there with his gun pointed at us. "Hey Espio, you want to do something about this?"

"I would, but the risk is too high. One of you might get hurt." Said Espio.

The grunt was panting under his damaged helmet and tightened his grip on the gun. He took aim towards Cream and started pulling the trouble. A loud metal sound rang through the streets as the grunt fell towards the floor. Behind him was the boar from earlier with a bent metal pipe in his hands.

"That's what I like to call karma." The boar simply walked away, flipping his new coin in the air like a shadow.

Our attention was turned to the grunt. I kicked the helmet off, revealing him to be a rooster.

"Who sent you?" I asked. He didn't answer, he simply spat at me. That would've impressive considering he has a beak, but it isn't because it landed in his eye. I then noticed something in his pocket. It was a picture of us, Me, Sally, Bunnie standing around while Itchy was on the ground pointing a gun towards the camera in the tunnels.

"Alright wise guy" said the crocodile "what's the big idea waving a gun at us?"

"Vector, look out!" Espio pushed him towards the floor.

"Ow! Why'd you do that?"

"That's why." He pointed towards grunt, more specifically the bullet wound in his head.

I covered Creams and Cheeses eyes as Amy screamed. We all looked towards the sky and saw a figure run away on the rooftops. The bee tried to go after him but was pulled back by Vector.

"No Charmy! He'll get you too."

"But he'll get away! No one takes a shot at my friends!" said Charmy.

While they bickered again, I saw Itchy climb into his truck. I followed him and watched as he swallowed some painkillers with a water bottle.

"You lost a lot of blood." I told him.

"I'll be fine." He assured.

I handed him the bandages "I think you need these more than ever."

He sighed and took the bandages "thanks for coming back. I'd be barbeque if you didn't."

"Hey, I made a promise and if I make a promise, I intend to keep it!"

"…thanks."

* * *

"Hey guys, check it out." Vector was holding the dead grunts boot.

"Mr. Vector, I don't think it's your size." Said Cream.

"No, not that. It's what's under the boot."

Espio dabbed his finger against the boot and gave his finger a lick. "This is high grade diesel, with a bit of coal mixed in."

"How do you know what diesel and coal taste like?" Amy asked.

"We get a lot of odd jobs" Charmy answered "some we aren't proud of."

"So what does it mean?" I asked.

"This kind of fuel is used only for trains. Which means this guy was recently at a train yard." Said Vector.

"There's only one train yard in all of Robotropolis. If what you say is true, we'll find more grunts there." Itchy turned his truck on and revved the engine.

"Where do you think you're going?" I asked him.

"The grunts said something about a train remember?"

"Shouldn't we contact HQ first?"

"You do that while I head to that train yard."

Itchy put the truck in reverse and hit the gas and the wheels spun but the truck didn't move. Vector was holding on to the truck with all his might. "Hold on, we went through all that trouble delivering this to you and your just going to go and get yourself killed?"

"I sense our client is worried about other matters. Perhaps this could be a job opportunity." Said Espio.

"Mr. Itchy and Ms. Sonar are looking for the missing children from Sanctuary." Cream explained.

"I've heard about that. Dishonorable thieves kidnapping children, unforgivable." Said Espio.

"Guys, do you know what this means?" Vector asked.

"We can save those kids and bring those bullies to justice?" Charmy guessed.

"That, and we'll be seen as Heroes! Our popularity will go through the roof, people will be knocking down our doors, begging us to do their jobs. The money will be rolling in." Vector began to drool.

"But more importantly, you'll be saving the kids right? Right?!" Amy began to growl.

"Mr. Itchy, we'll assist you on your quest, if you'll have us." Espio offered.

Itchy gave it a thought and nodded his head. "Alright, but call me Itchy."

"We'll go too." Said Amy.

"Oh no" Vector denied " It's too dangerous, besides what'll happen if Vanilla finds out we let little Cream get hurt?"

"Mr. Vector" Cream looked at him with the biggest eyes she could make "cant this be our little secret?"

Vector tried to look away but her cuteness eventually overpowered him. "Alright fine, but you be on your best behavior and listen to the grownups."

Cream and Cheese gave a little salute and climbed into the passenger seat next to Itchy, followed by Amy and me, leaving no space for the trio.

"Hey, what about us?" Charmy asked.

"Get in the trailer." Itchy ordered. The trio looked at each other and shrugged. "And bring the bike.


	7. Chapter 7: the Pain Train

How about an Adventure. Chapter 7: The Pain Train

The train yard seemed more like a grave yard, with broken trains left to rust.

"Why does Robotropolis even have a train yard anyway?" Amy asked.

"A while ago, Eggman used to move his supplies and robots through the train system. When Eggman started building air fleets, the trains became obsolete" I explained "Nowadays, the remaining train tracks are used for public transportation and other things. Eggman never really bothered to take them down."

I got out of the Scumbucket to open the trailer for the others while Amy and Sonar stayed in the truck to wake up Cream and her weird pet who had fallen asleep. Charmy was playing with a flashlight, Espio was meditating, and Vector was listening to an old tape player.

"Everybody out." I ordered. They all climbed out of the trailer except for Vector who walked up to me with a box full of old cassettes.

"Can I take these?" he asked.

I found those old cassettes in a dumpster. Normally I prefer rock but the idea of letting these once famous tunes rot away at a junkyard seemed like a waste. I've been holding on to them hoping to find someone who cares.

"Fine." Vector smiled and walked off with his new collection.

* * *

We walked around the train yard for about ten minutes with no results.

"Do you think they already left?" Sonar asked. Maybe she's right, perhaps they already left.

"Do trains still go through here?" Charmy asked.

"No, this place is off limits for most trains." I explained

Charmy didn't say anything. He just looked up. We looked at what seems to have caught his attention and saw smoke.

"Unless someone's throwing a bonfire party, I'm guessing they're over there." Vector deduced.

"You are correct." Espio startled me as he bled into existence like a mirage. "I've scoped out the scene while you were wandering around."

"Why didn't you say anything?" Amy asked.

"I had no idea what to expect from them. If I were to get caught, I didn't want to endanger anyone else."

"That's our Espio, always looking out for the rest of us." Vector patted Espio on the back. "So what did you find?"

"Follow me, but stay low."

We tailed him slowly and quietly. We hid behind an old broken down engine and observed as hundreds of grunts worked like clockwork around an old (but still operational) train with nothing but beds minus the engine. Each bed had two large magnetic cranes to lift large metal storage containers which were pushed into place by what seems to be large robots about twice the height and width of the average Mobian. The robots revealed themselves to be mech suits when one of the grunts climbed out of the cockpit with reflective glass.

Creams ears perked up towards the train. "I hear crying."

"I too sense something on the train. Something…innocent." Said Espio.

"Walking up to that train would be suicide, we need a plan." Vector was right. If not for the mechs themselves, the grunts were armed with SMG's instead of pistols like the ones in the tunnel, and we barely survived that.

I can barely see the mech pilots through that reflective glass, which gives me an idea. I looked at Sonar and she looked back. She seems to have the same idea.

* * *

The train seemed ready to leave, so we better work fast. As the last mech started boarding the train I threw a rock at it. It turned and I ducked behind the engine as Cream jumped out and waved at him. The mech and two grunts ran after Cream and followed her behind some wreckage where Sonar, Amy, and I took them down with the element of surprise. Amy knocked down the mech with her funny hammer and I pried the cockpit open with a crowbar which I then used to knock out the pilot. With our new disguises, Sonar and Amy escorted Cream onto the train while I followed behind in the mech.

"Thought you could get away eh?" a grunt came out to welcome us and grabbed Cream by the dress. "I'll be keeping my eye on you." He opened one of the storage containers and threw her in. for the brief moment it was open, we could see children cowering in fear.

He closed the door and locked it via digital lock. "06231991" I mentally noted down the passcode for the lock.

"Alright that's enough of that, let's get you out of that suit before we get moving."

We followed him towards the caboose and walked into a large crate. Inside were more mechs on what seems to be a charging station. The door closed behind us and we were left alone with the grunt.

"Now put the suit to charge and get to work." Said the grunt, and so we got to work. Amy knocked the grunt out with her hammer and Sonar shoved him into a tool closet.

"Thank goodness" Amy took off her helmet "It smells like a gym in there."

I climbed out of the mech and took a look around. As I mentioned before, there's the mechs on some kind of charging station and a storage closet. There's also a two-way radio on the wall probably used to contact the rest of the train.

"I can use this to contact the others." I grabbed the radio and tuned it to the Scumbucket. I've been meaning to remove the two-way in my truck but the scattered conversations keep me company when I feel lonely.

"Hedgehogs to Scumbucket, do you hear us Scumbucket?" we started to worry when there was no response.

"Scumbucket to Hedgehogs, we hear you loud and clear." Vectors voice rang through the radio.

"We confirmed the children are here, but it's too crowded to just charge the place. Tail the train at a distance until we come up with something."

"We better come up with something quick. With four grunts missing, they're bound to notice something." Said Sonar.

"Well that should be easy, let's just go around and knock them off the train." Amy swung her hammer around for emphasis.

"No it's not that simple. Even if we could take them all out by ourselves, we're not the only ones in danger. They may endanger the children too." Sonar explained "we need to most of them in one place to start the attack and work our way up the train towards the engine."

"So the question is, how are we going to get them all in one place?" I asked. I wandered around the room for some inspiration. Then it dawned on me. What's in this room that can't be ignored?

* * *

"The mech has gone haywire!" Sonar shouted.

On the outside, it seemed like one of the mechs has gone insane and began flailing its arms around like a maniac, causing large amounts of damage on the train and equipment. On the inside however, it's just me playing around with the controls to make it seem like it's gone insane.

Soon the grunts gathered around by the dozens, watching as the mech goes nuts.

"What happened?" one of the grunts asked.

"I don't know" Amy said in a deep voice "it just went ballistic."

It's clear to me now the grunts did not have a plan for this since they just stood there completely bamboozled by the situation.

"What should we do?" a grunt asked.

"Grab some cables and try to tie it down!" said another.

They grabbed some steel cables and tried to lasso the mech down believing their combined weight would weigh it down. They were very wrong.

I grabbed the cables and spun around as fast as I could. I was soon dragging the grunts through the air and launched them like a rock on a sling off the train and stood there with pride of a plan gone right.

"Do you think they'll be alright?" Sonar asked.

"You launched one out of the fifth floor of my apartment and he later got hit by a truck. I think they'll be alright." I said.

Soon more grunts started to gather and I flailed my arms at them, knocking some of them off the train while the others could only watch.

"You two, get back!" cried someone from the crowd.

Suddenly, the mech was covered with some kind of purple goop and the controls began to actually go haywire, but that's not the worst part. The goop started eating away at the mech! I had no choice but to eject from the suit as it disintegrated before the goop got to me. The girls fared no better. They were stripping their armor off as the goop ate away at it. I looked up to see the crowd of grunts watching us with a red one like the one from the tunnel standing there with what seems to be some kind of squirt gun with a wire connected to generator on his back.

"What the hell? Who are these guys?" one of the grunts shouted.

"Open your eyes idiots, they're the ones from the tunnel remember? Shoot on sight priority." Said the captain.

The grunts raised their guns and aimed with the intention to kill but were waved off by the captain.

"Hold on boys, first rounds on me." The captain pulled out a pistol and took aim.

It really seemed like it was the end for us. It's a shame, I really wanted to learn more about that acidic squirt gun. It's a good thing we have a plan B.

* * *

There was a large explosion from the back of the train, then another, and another. The grunts attention was turned to the unknown threat. They watched as the explosions grew closer and closer.

"What's going on? Are we under attack?" a grunt asked.

The grunts began to tremble in their boots, and for good reason. Footsteps were heard walking towards us but no one was seen. Stopped when it reached the captain, that's when all hell broke loose. The grunts fired in every possible direction hoping to fend off the invisible threat. A grunt screamed as an unknown object was stabbed into his gun. The others backed off as it began to spark and soon detonated, sending even more off the plane.

The captain's attention was turned to us. "Call off the attack." He ordered and aimed at our heads.

"What attack? You mean that attack?" I point to my left where a large dust storm can be seen. It grew closer and closer until it was right next to the train. Then a huge behemoth jumped from the dust cloud and tackled the captain towards the ground.

Vector grabbed the captain with his powerful jaws and shook him like a maraca.

"Wait!" I shouted "Save the gun!" Vector followed orders and ripped the gun from the captains back and threw him off the train like garbage. He handed me the gun and Espio appeared next to him.

"Now that's what I call a plan B." Vector stated.

"When all else fails, make some noise." I replied.

"Vector, if you're here, whose driving the truck?" Espio asked.

"Relax, I put a cinderblock on the gas and told Charmy to keep it straight."

"You left a little kid in charge of a moving truck?" I growled.

"Don't worry, Charmys a smart kid, most of the time."

"That makes me feel so much better." I said sarcastically.

"Be on your guard, more are coming." Espio was right. Up ahead we can see more grunts heading our way with a lot more guns.

"We can't take them like this, we'll be killed!" Sonar was right. We'll get shot up way before we can even get close to them.

It's too late to get another mech and we have no way of attacking them at a distance. I looked around for a plan, then I noticed the cranes.

"I have a plan!" I shouted "Vector, go get me another mech. Amy, you and I are on the cranes. Sonar, you keep them back under the cranes while Espio makes them advance."

Everyone headed into position. The grunts soon reached us and started firing. Espio snuck past them and used his explosive shurikens to make them advance. Sonar began running in a circle creating a small tornado and lifting small objects which she would then jump after and kick towards the grunts, forcing them to retreat under the cranes.

Now it's our turn. Amy and I swung the cranes over the grunts and activated the magnets. The grunts were lifted off the ground and were stuck on the magnet like flies on sticky fly paper. We swung the cranes off the train and dropped the grunts.

"Wow that worked better than expected." I said as Vector ran up to us with another mech in his arms.

Everyone stood there in pride of a job well done while I climbed into the mech. More grunts rushed us and opened fire. They all ducked for cover while sat in the mech, surprised to be alive after the barrage.

I look up to the grunts with a sinister smirk on my face. "Sucks to be you!" I shouted.

The battle continued as we moved further up the train towards the engine. More grunts appeared with more weapons, but we had a tank on our team. I rushed towards each and every one of them, breaking their ranks while the others took them out one by one. We were unstoppable and the grunts could only cower in fear. For the first time in a long while, I was having fun.

* * *

We finally reached the engine. The only thing between us and the engine was a small group grunts and a captain.

"You might as well give up" said Vector "we pushed around your goons like they were paper Mache."

They said nothing, they just stood there.

"What are you planning to do with all those kids?" Sonar asked.

They stayed silent.

"How can you live with yourself knowing what you did?" Amy asked.

Still silent.

"I say we clobber them now and ask questions later." I moved closer and they just stood there. That was getting me worried.

"I congratulate you for all your hard work." A dirty dog walked past the grunts. He had gray fur and wore a very dirty apron. He had thick leather gloves and cracked goggles. "I'm the conductor of this train, and I must say, you caused a lot of trouble.

"Thanks for the compliment." Vector grinned.

"But I'm afraid this little game of yours is at an end. You see, you're playing with the big boys now." He signaled the grunts to ready themselves. "Now if you excuse me, I'm going to fetch my favorite toy. Gentlemen, show our guests a fun time."

The bullets were sent flying without warning and the others were forced into cover. I don't know what the conductor meant by his "Favorite toy" but I don't want wait around and find out.

"We got to stop him!" I shouted.

Vector began pushing a large metal crate to advance while I move the mech forward with the girls behind me. The captain, seeing our advancement, pulled out a gun much like the captain before him.

"If that thing hits you, you'll be a sitting duck!" Sonar shouted.

"Look out!" a yellow blur flew past us and tackled the captain. When they recovered, Charmys stinger has punctured the squirt gun. It began to spark and expand.

"Whoops, sorry." The captain did not accept his apology and backhanded him towards the ground. Probably for the best too.

The gun detonated, covering the poor captain in the goop. We watched as he tried to tear off his armor but he wasn't quick enough as the goop had already eaten through his helmet and began eating away at his face. He screamed in pain and by the time the goop stopped eating away at his face, it was horribly mutilated, as if he met with the wrong side of a chainsaw.

"Charmy? What are you doing here?" Vector lifted him by his wings.

"You guys were in trouble so I decided to help." Charmy explained.

"But who's driving the truck?" I asked.

"Oh, I just used the trucks wench and tied it to the back of the train."

"That just gets me more worried."

As we argued, we didn't noticed the captain recovering from his little accident and started rallying his troops. Then something…interesting happened.

The engine began to make a strange noise. It started to rise from the front of the end until it was pointing skyward revealing it to have been laying on another bed. The bottom of the engine unfolded like a cabinet with the wheels on the side. The wheels then detached at a point making it look like a torso with arms but no head. Two turrets popped up from the shoulders and a small glass panel in the middle revealed the conductor.

"What is that?" Amy asked.

"The conductors favorite toy." I explained.

"I hope you weren't bored while I was away." Said the conductor "This is train number 941N, but I like to call it "the Pain Train"."

The engines giant arms swept the entire bed in front of it, knocking off the captain and his grunts off the train.

"Enough games, I want you all to myself. I'll teach you to mess with my train."

I was surprised. I knew these guys were advance but…wow. If it wasn't for the fact that he was trying to kill me. I'd be a little impressed.

* * *

"Look out! Thomas finally lost it!" Sonar shouted.

The train really has gone crazy. We tried every idea that came to mind to take out that engine but to no avail. We can't take out the conductor because the arms swipe us away. We can't take out the arms because the turrets keep us at bay. And we can't attack at a distance because the armor's too thick. We need to get close, but how?

"What if we shot him with that goop?" Sonar shouted.

"It's like a high pressured squirt gun!" I shouted "it doesn't have the range!"

Even if I could get past the arms, I'd have to expose myself to hit him with the goop and those turrets don't look friendly. I'd use the mech itself but its hands are too big to use the gun.

"What if we short circuited it?" She shouted.

"How?!" I asked.

"With an EMP!"

"A what?!"

"AN Electromagnetic Pulse!"

"I know what an EMP is! Where do I get one at this time?!"

"You're smart, you can figure something out!"

I looked around and gave it a thought. She's right, I am smart enough to figure it out, but I'll need time.

I moved the mech behind a large metal crate and climbed out.

"What are you doing?!" Amy asked.

"Doing what I do best! I need you guys to distract him while I get the mech ready!"

Vector and Amy started launching anything big and heavy towards the engine while Sonar, Espio, and Charmy zigzagged around it to keep the conductor busy.

I opened a panel in the back and started fiddling with the super capacitor.

"I need a long iron pipe!" I shouted.

"Will this do?!" Vector tossed a pipe at me and I attached it to the mech.

"I need some steel wires!" I shouted.

"Here you go!" Amy tossed a large jumble of wires and it nearly fell off the train. Thank goodness Charmy caught it.

"Here you go boss." I took the wire from Charmy. I tried to untie the wires only to reveal that its one single wire.

"Damn, I need at least two." At that moment, the wire was sliced in two and Espio revealed himself.

"Anything else boss?"

"No, I'm good."

I connected one of the wires from the capacitor to the battery and another from the battery to the pipe.

"Damn it!" I shouted.

"What's wrong?" Sonar ran up next to me.

"There's not enough power, the EMP won't have enough range!"

"Oh is that all? Here, take this." She handed me a single glowing ring.

The thing about rings is, they don't really exist. Rings are just energy you can touch and hold. Whenever you put two rings together, they fuse and become more powerful. A single ring can barely charge a flashlight for five seconds, but a lot of them could power anything. You can tell how many rings are in a single ring by how bright it's glowing, and this one was like a mini star.

I touched the ring to the battery and it began to glow with power.

"That should be enough!" I shouted "everyone stand back!"

I climbed into the mech and moved towards the engine. It clasped its hands together and raised them high. I overloaded the battery, which overloaded the super capacitor, which sent a pulse from the pipe. Just like that, the arms froze and the guns stopped firing.

"What's going on? What did you do to my train?!" the conductor banged on his controls, hoping for a response.

"Now Itchy! Hit him with that purple stuff!" Sonar shouted.

I climbed out of the cockpit and on top of the mech and aimed down the sights. I pulled the trigger, but nothing happen.

"Oh crap, I forgot this gun runs on energy too!" I looked up to the engine. It started to accelerate slowly. The guns slowly started to hum as power was soon being restored.

"Hurry up! He's going to start up again!" Amy shouted.

I grabbed the guns pack and opened it to see the battery. It's tapped out.

"If only I had another ring!" Sonar cried. Then it hit me.

I can't believe that they finally prove themselves useful. I pulled out my ring that has collected over time with bad payments and jabbed it into the battery. The gun began to hum with power, but is it enough?

I aimed down the sights and fired. The gun fired the goop towards the engines "chest" and it burned away at its armor, but it wasn't enough. Only a little goop was shot from the gun, revealing the inner workings of the engine.

"I don't have enough power for another shot!" I shouted

"What do we do?!" Charmy asked.

I thought harder than I ever thought before. I was banging on my head with a metaphorical mallet. Then it hit me.

"Vector, you still got those cassettes I gave you?"

"Yeah, you said I can have them!"

"I need you to throw a few in the engine!"

"What! But they're classics!"

"You don't have to throw all of them, just a few!"

Vector pulled out his box and began rummaging through it, picking out the ones he likes the least.

"Vector we don't have time for this!" Espio grabbed a few cassettes from the box and tossed them with expert precision inside the engine.

The moving parts inside the engine crushed the cassettes, entangling their tapes in the gears. Unable to move, the parts started to overheat making the tape melt which only made matters worse.

"What did you do to my train?!" the conductor began to panic as the engine started to overheat and expand.

"I say the train's about to explode, it just needs a little push." I said.

Sonar curled up and Amy hit her with her hammer like a golf ball, launching her through the engine. It began to explode.

"This can't be! My beautiful train!" Shouted the conductor.

The engine was soon engulfed in a large fireball and pieces of the engine was sent flying.

"I think the pain train was just derailed" I added.

Sonar and Amy walked up to me and I began to smile.

"What?" they asked.

"Your hair!" and we started laughing, leaving them out of the joke.

They were left confused until they got a good look at each other and screamed.

"You're Hair!" Sonar shouted.

"You're Hair!" Amy shouted back.

"It must've been from the EMP." I explained before I fell on the floor laughing.

I have never laughed so hard in ages.

* * *

"06231991" I entered the password into the final container and released the children. Cream ran up to Amy and gave her a big hug.

"You were so brave" said Amy.

"Thank you" Cream replied.

"Who knew they kidnapped so many kids?" Sonar looked at all the children on the train. Definitely much more than five.

"They say they live in or around Robotropolis. I'm sure their parents will be happy to see them." Said Vector.

A little fox pulled on Vectors tail "Mister, what if we don't have a home?"

It didn't occur to us that most of these kids haven't been reported missing because they were orphans.

"In that case we'll take you to Sanctuary" Amy explained "I think Cream and I had enough excitement for one day."

I didn't pay attention to any of that, I was too busy looking for him.

"Sonar, we got a problem."

"What?" she asked.

"They're not here."


	8. Chapter 8: Babbling Babylon

How about an Adventure: Ch.8 babbling Babylon

"So this is the Scumbucket?"

I sat on the passenger seat looking out the window, nothing but desert. I looked around the truck and saw the two way radio, a GPS, a little tree air freshener, and of course the driver.

"Yeah, I had this piece of junk for some time now. It's not much, but on my budget it's a miracle."

We've been driving through this desert for some time now after our battle on the train. Vector and the others put the train in reverse and headed home to return the children.

"You know, this train looked like it was headed to Casinopolis." Vector examined "but why on Mobius would they be headed there?"

"Do you think the other children may have been sent there?" I asked.

"It's possible, right now it's our only lead. I say we should go there and look around." Itchy answered. Itchy headed towards his truck but was stopped by Vector with his hand out. "Oh right, I guess you did your part" he reached into his pocket "How much?"

"Well I say after all this it would be at a reasonable price of...one hundred dollars"

Itchy tensed at the number, his quills perked up in shock.

"Well...I guess that's fair." he reluctantly handed him the payment and Vector counted.

"What's with the fifty percent tip" he pulled out the additional fifty dollars.

"Additional payment for an additional job. I want you to take these kids and those two" he pointed at Amy and Cream "back home safely."

"Not a problem."

"You can drive a train right?"

"Does an alligator hide its teeth?"

We looked at him with confused faces.

"The answer is yes."

We were pretty much packed for our trip when Vector tapped on our window.

"When you guys reach Casinopolis you should probably head to Night Babylon and visit this club." he then handed me a dark blue business card covered with stars and lipstick. "Find the owner and tell em I sent ya. Also, tell em we're even."

"They owe you?"

"I owe them."

* * *

It's getting dark out here in the desert. I couldn't see a thing if it weren't for the headlights. I started getting very sleepy, nodding off as we passed by nothing but cacti. Itchy looked sleepy as well.

"Maybe I should drive the rest of the way." I offered.

"Can you drive?" he asked. I said nothing. "I just need to listen to some music." he turned on the radio and found only static. "Damn, we must be too far from any radio towers."

I started nodding my head as I looked at him when I saw something next to his legs.

"So what do you plan on doing with that thing anyway?" I pointed at the weird acid gun he brought from the train.

"Don't know, I've never seen anything like it. I might take it apart and see how it works, or perhaps try to find a way to make it better,"

He seemed to be getting excited...

"The weird acidic goop on its own is interesting, but what I'm wondering is how do they keep it from eating the gun? Why does the gun need such a big battery, but no storage for the goop?

He seems a little too excited just thinking about it. Like a kid getting a big present on Christmas with no idea what's inside.

"You seem to be having fun with this." I interrupted.

"Well when figuring out how to put things together you have to take them apart. I was taught to build and create since I was a toddler, but that never stopped me from taking apart the fridge to find out if the light stayed on when the door was closed."

"The answer?" I asked.

"It doesn't."

I looked at him and couldn't help but notice his smile. This is the first time I've ever seen him smile as if he was really happy. I remember what I thought back at Robotropolis, how the town was gray because it was never shown kindness and compassion. Maybe he really is the same way.

"Hey I have a question." he snapped me out of deep thought "How do you know that hedgehog anyway?"

"Amy?"

"No, the blue one. How does a nice little girl like you know an adrenaline monkey like him?"

I looked back and smiled to the memories that came flooding back to me.

"I met him back at kindergarten. I was a very shy little girl and got picked on for my big ears. One day, after class was over these bullies kept teasing me and wouldn't go away, until he came along. He was so little back then. He had shorter quills, he was so carefree, and the one thing I can never forget, he was chubby, very chubby. He taught those bullies a lesson they'll never forget and then taught me a lesson I'll never forget, to be myself. He taught me to be proud of who I am and what I have. He showed me how to be kind to others and gave me a whole new perspective on life that made me appreciate every breath the planet gives me. I wouldn't be who I am if it wasn't for him." I looked out the window towards the stars as a tear emerged from the memories. I smiled at the thought of how far I've came since we met.

"He must be really important to you." Itchy remarked.

"More than he realizes." I answered.

"Why didn't you tell your parents about it? The bullying I mean."

I looked down, I don't want him to see the misery in my eye.

"My parents were always busy, they worked hard to make my life easy for me when I get older. I never got the chance to tell them about Sonic."

"What about now? Where are they?"

"That's something you and eye have in common, my parents were roboticized when Eggman came to power. I was so little. When I got the news I got so depressed I wouldn't talk to anyone for a month, not even Sonic. It wasn't until my friends got together and talked to me when I realized that this wouldn't be what my parents wanted. They worked to the end so that I could be happy and it would be a spit on their graves if I stayed miserable. They would've wanted me to move on and smile."

"Your parents would be proud of you." He said.

I looked out the window again and watched the stars shine while a shooting star flew through the sky. The memories of my parents filled my heart and tears poured from my eyes.

"Yeah, you're right."

* * *

I don't know how long I've been out, the memories soothed me to sleep. Itchy seemed wide awake, the coffee in his hand may have something to do with it.

"Where did you get that coffee?" I asked.

"I bought it." he answered

"Where!?"

He said nothing and pointed out my window. To my surprise I could see a little coffee shop lit up with a little light bulb hanging from the ceiling. Around it were thousands of bright lights flooding my eyes from the building next door. Everywhere I look I see nothing but bright lights, laughing Mobians, and casinos filling the entire street. This is Casinopolis, the gambling city.

"When did we get here?" I asked

"About an hour ago."

"How long was I asleep?"

"About two hours."

Itchy finished his coffee and turned on the truck.

"I got one for you in case you wanted It." he pointed at the cup holder hanging from the dash panel.

The coffee had nice warm steam coming from the cup. The desert was awfully cold at night, I gladly accepted the warm coffee as Itchy drove down the illuminated streets. Everywhere I looked there were clubs and casinos and motels shining bright like stars fallen from the sky. Loud joyful music played throughout the streets as Mobians danced awkwardly with alcoholic drinks in their hands.

"Ever been here before?" Itchy asked.

"Several times, what about you?" I replied.

"This is my first time."

It was then that I remembered what Vector told us. I pulled out the card from my pocket.

"Vector said it would be a good idea to go here."

"Any idea where that is?"

"Nope."

We crawled to a halt thanks to traffic. I looked around and saw a female raccoon in a big coat walk by my window.

"Excuse me" I asked "do you know where this place is?" I showed her the card and she blushed.

"Little lady, how old are you?" she asked.

"Sixteen, why?"

She looked at the card with a raised eyebrow, then at me "It's down in Night Babylon, down the street for three miles and to the left. Aren't you a little old for a place like that?"

"We're just looking for someone." I answered.

"I hope so, I don't think your boyfriend would like it." I stuttered when she pointed at Itchy. I don't think he heard.

"He's not my boyfriend!" I shouted.

* * *

Night Babylon is a bit different than the rest of Casinopolis. The rest of the city has all the bright lights of a rainbow, Night Babylon has darker colors consisting of blue and darker blue. Most of the decor I see look like Babylonian architecture, guess that's where it got its name.

"So which club is it?" Itchy asked.

I looked at the card "Club Rouge" is printed on the card in cursive text and a large bat with a neon green outline. I looked around and saw a large building with the same design of the card.

"That's it over there." I pointed.

He drove towards the building and searched for a nice parking spot.

"Now that's the trouble with eighteen-wheelers, parking." Itchy explained.

He eventually opted to park in the back.

"Are you sure this is the place?" He asked as he looked at the front of the building.

The building looks like the tag mahal. The entire front of the building was taken up by a sign of the same bat on the card covered by huge letters spelling CASINO. I looked around, no other building has any resemblance to the card.

"This has to be it." I said.

"Maybe they closed up and didn't tell Vector?" Itchy suggested.

I said nothing and walked inside, Itchy soon followed. I instantly regretted my mistake and shut my eyes while my face grew bright red. The building was filled with females in luxury design clothing. The ones on the left pulled out money from their pockets and purses to gamble with slot machines and cards. The entire floor was designed like a pinball table. The ones on the right also withdrew their money from their pockets and purses, and gave them to the males wearing little to nothing. It's a male strip club.

"Maybe this is the wrong place." I thought out loud.

"Maybe Vector doesn't swim as straight as I thought." Itchy added.

We walked further into the bar hoping for an answer. We reached a bar in the middle of the building where a giant rat was washing shot glasses. He took one look at me and Itchy.

"Uh...can I help you two?" the rat asked.

"Is this Club Rouge?" I asked.

"The one and only. What the heck are you doing in here anyway, you're too young" he pointed at me "and you" he pointed at Itchy "Well..."

"We're not here as customers" Itchy exclaimed "We're here because we were told we could get help."

"And who told you that?" asked the rat.

"Vector, a crocodile." I answered.

"Vector!?" a feminine voice echoed through the casino/strip club.

The crowd on the left side began to part as a lone white bat in a purple jumpsuit and a large pink heart shaped chest piece began walking towards us. Her heels tapped noisily across the floor.

"Did you say Vector sent you?" she asked.

"Yeah, he told us we could get some help here." I answered.

"That overgrown lizard owes me a lot of money. What makes him think I'd just help some kids just because he asked nicely?"

"Actually about that, he said to tell you you're even, whatever that means."

She examined us closely, a little too close if you ask me.

"He expects to take you two? Well you're not much to look at" she took an even closer look at Itchy "what do you do?"

"Me? I'm a mechanic." he answered.

"That's an odd gimmick, and you're not much to look at, but I'll see what I can do."

Itchys reaction was of shock and embarrassment. I spoke for him.

"Actually Ma'am we thought you could help us with our search. A few days ago a couple of kids were taken from Sanctuary and we're on the search for them. Vector and his friends helped us locate a train delivering more kids towards Casinopolis so we think the kids may be here."

She started to think.

"Yes I heard about the kidnapping. Stealing jewels is one thing but taking kids is just shameful. Looks like I have another use for you girl. I was actually planning on crashing a little "party" some of the higher ups were throwing. It's a big job, I could use a partner, but your friend stays here and works for me."

I looked at Itchy who simply nodded at me. I looked at the bat and gave her nod.

"Great. By the way I'm Rouge the Bat, I think we'll become good friends."


	9. Chapter 9: Don't forget to tip

How About an Adventure? : Ch.9 don't forget to tip

How the hell did I get into this mess? Two days ago I was laying in my comfy home running my stress free life. Now I'm stuck in Casinopolis, working as a stripper.

"While we're out enjoying the party, I want you to stay here as payment for my help." said the bat.

"Alright, what do you want me to do? Is there a leak somewhere? A slot machine jammed? A pole loose?" I asked.

"I want you to be good company to these lovely paying customers." She motioned to all the women in the casino, each of them enjoying their good time gambling while having their share of eye candy.

"Excuse me?" I asked.

"Let's talk in the changing room." she ordered.

I looked at Sonar who simply shrugged as we followed Rouge to the changing room. Inside were plenty of men changing into different outfits for any fantasy. Sonar blushed like a tomato as a tall kangaroo approached her.

"Sorry miss, no peeks until during the show." said the kangaroo.

"Don't worry Tyler, she's with me" Rouge explained "And he's fresh meat." She shoved me towards the kangaroo.

He was at least a foot taller than me and was covered in tan fur minus his ashy underbelly. He seems to have a rare mutation known as Heterochromia seeing how one eye was brown and the other was hazel. He seemed a bit skinny for a normal kangaroo.

"He's not much to look at..." Tyler noted "does he have a gimmick?"

"He's a mechanic." Rouge answered.

"A bit old fashioned."

"It's all he's got. Now" Rouge looked at Sonar "Why don't we head into my private changing room and get dressed for the party?"

Sonar looked at me with a suspicious face while I watched them leave with a frown on my face.

"Hey none of that now, the customers won't like it if you frown" Tyler ordered "Now let's put you to work."

He walked off towards a closet in the back and returned with a tool belt with fake tools, a pair of overalls, and dumb looking truckers cap.

"Where's the shirt?" I asked.

"What shirt?" he answered.

Oh crap.

* * *

I noticed an hour has passed since I arrived on the clock next to the trash bin where my favorite pants and backup bee hoodie now rest. The casino seems busy as customers move to and from and putting their money on the gambling table, or in someone's speedos. I myself currently have a few bills placed awkwardly under my straps, and I haven't even done anything. At the moment I'm at the bar taking a break while Ernie the rat is trying to fix a leaky faucet.

"Darn this busted faucet!" he shouted.

I walked around the bar to get a better view at the situation. He seems to be focused on the piping under the faucet but I can see the real problem.

"It's not the pipes that are busted, it's the valve." I explained.

"What do you mean by that?" he asked.

I looked around and found a wrench in the tool box he's using and tightened the valve. The leak stopped.

"Wow that was impressive. How did you know that?" He asked.

"I told you, I'm a mechanic."

"So that's not your gimmick then?" Tyler hopped towards me. His pouch was stuffed with money.

"Nope, that was the truth."

"Then why is a real mechanic like you working as a stripper like this?"

"I'm on loan."

Tyler started thinking "Hmm...There are a few other things that need fixing around here, you mind lending a hand?"

"I could give it a shot, but I need my tools from the truck."

"Lead the way."

Tyler followed me to the Scumbucket while I retrieved my tools from the trailer. Tyler gave a peek inside and saw the motorcycle from earlier.

"Is that yours?" he asked.

"It is now. The driver tried to kill me." I explained as I picked up my tool box.

Tyler looked at me with suspicion "You sound like you live a dangerous life."

"For the past two days, yes."

"Sounds exciting."

"I hate it. I wish I could go back to before I was shot at every two minutes."

"If you hate it so much, then why are you still here and not at home?"

"Well first off, they burned my house down." I jumped out of the trailer "and second, they took my brother."

"Oh, well that's a good reason if any." Tyler said as he and I headed back into the casino.

"I guess all this will be worth it though" I said "If it means he's safe again in Sanctuary."

"Why don't you take care of him?" Tyler asked.

"Because I can barely take care of myself, you saw my clothes." I looked back at the bin. My old clothes are ripped up and seem like they are being held together by only a few threads, and that was before all this mess.

"I can understand that" Tyler commented "Back before I worked here, I used to have a job but was fired because of my...preferences. I had no money and nowhere to go until Madam Rouge found me. We all hit rock bottom but Madam Rouge gave us a second chance and a family. It just goes to show you that you're more likely to survive with the help of others and to accept others with open arms."

I took his story to heart and looked back on my life. All my life no one has ever really accepted me with open arms when I was orphaned, but that doesn't mean I shouldn't. Maybe I should've taken my brother in when I had the chance. I'll have to think about this after he's back home safe.

"So...what do I need to fix?"

* * *

I must've fallen asleep. Two hours have passed since I last looked at the clock. I must've fixed pretty much everything, I fixed all he wobbly chairs, I tightened loose poles, and I fixed a few slot machines. The whole time many of the customers came to watch me work thinking it was part of the show, the exposing outfit didn't help. I was so tired I passed out on the bar and woke up to a light tap on my shoulder, and a screwdriver on my cheek. It's Tyler.

"You mind explaining the mess you just made?" He asked.

I looked down at the bar and saw pieces and bits of what looks like a disco ball, a lava lamp, a toy laser gun, a hair dryer, a laser pen, and the goop gun.

"Aw shit, was I sleep tinkering again?"

"Sleep what now?" Tyler let loose a little giggle.

"Sleep tinkering, it's like sleep walking but I start taking things apart and putting them together all weird like." I explained.

"So that's what that was" Ernie walked towards us with a dust pan and small broom "A while ago you just got up with a blank stare and walked out of the casino. You came back with all that junk and just started taking them apart, built this...thing, and passed out."

He handed me a red hair dryer, or at least the shell of a hair dryer with small fins attached to the sides and the top. The front of the shell had a metal rod sticking out with a small dish in the middle made out of glass and a blue orb on the tip which seems to have liquid inside it. It has a trigger on the handle, making it resemble a small firearm.

"So you built a toy?" Tyler asked.

I didn't answer, I simply grabbed my dumb trucker hat, tossed it in the air, took aim and fired. A bright blue beam shot out of the gun and hit the hat which then disappeared out of sight.

"What happened?" Ernie asked.

"I think it disintegrated." I answered. I looked at the gun and sat down in shock that I had built such a thing.

"What's wrong? It's amazing, I've never seen anything like this!" Tyler supported.

"The problem is this thing is dangerous! What if I had shot someone with it while I was asleep?" I shouted.

"I take it this isn't the first time you built something dangerous is it?" Ernie asked.

"This has been happening since I was five. I woke up building an earthquake machine that could've leveled an entire city. When I was ten I built a robotic snake that terrorized the sewer system. When I was seventeen I caught myself building an implosion bomb that would have turned my apartment into a black hole."

"And what exactly causes this?" Tyler asked.

"It usually triggers when I start getting creative. That's why I became a mechanic, I only work on simple machinery. All the work I've been doing here must've turned on my engineering instincts."

"You shouldn't really suppress yourself like that, it's not good for you." said Tyler.

"What do you mean?"

"What you just told me is that you purposely suppress your abilities because you're afraid of them. While it's okay to be worried about what you can and can't do, you shouldn't hide yourself because you're afraid. Maybe this sleep tinkering is just your true abilities building up and leaking out because your forcing them back like a valve. You have to accept your true power."

"Wow Tyler, I never really thought about it that way."

"Just look at me, I tried to hide what I truly am for years until I finally decided to break free from my own bounds. It may have cost me my job but it was such a huge weight off my chest."

"Yeah...I guess I can understand that."

"Who knows, maybe you'll be able to smile at yourself you little grump. It makes you a bit more...attractive."

Then it hit me...his tail that is. I froze as his large toes rubbed against my foot very slowly. He leaned very close to me as if he wanted to whisper something personal. He slowly caressed my hand with his paw as he stared intently at my eyes. Oh crap this has to stop!

"TYLER! Tyler! I don't hop that way!" I screamed as I pushed him away.

Tyler's eyes shot open and he backed off as quickly as a bullet. He grabbed his tail and did everything he can to not look at me.

"Oh shit I'm sorry I didn't know." He tried to explain.

"No, no it's probably my fault. Did I hint at it or something?" I asked.

"No, that's not it at all. I just assumed you were..."

"No man I'm straighter than an arrow."

"So we're in a black van tied up heading to our doom. Where exactly is that?"

"Wait, what now?" I answered to the sudden interruption of our awkward conversation.

"Shut up, we're taking you to the docks so you can swim with the fishes."

"Hey Itchy, I think your watch is talking." said Ernie.

I checked my wrist and saw that the communicator has been activated. I completely forgot about it.

"The docks huh? I guess that means we're taking Lady Luck Lane because that's the fastest way there right Sonar?"

"That sounds like Madam Rouge!" Tyler shouted.

"Oh yes, Looks like we'll be drowned because we got caught after all with no back up whatsoever."

"And that's Sonar." I shouted.

"Hey Rouge, do you mind helping me out? I feel like an itch has got my back."

"Well that's a weird way to say she's itchy." Ernie noted.

"Wrong. I'm Itchy and I got her back." I grabbed the laser gun off the bar and headed towards the Scumbucket.

"Hold on now, you aren't planning on saving them yourself?" Tyler asked.

"You wanna come? Be my guest. The more the merrier."

"So what do you plan on doing?" Ernie asked.

"I'm going to accept my true power."


	10. Chapter 10: Shipping and Handling

How about an Adventure? : Ch.10 shipping and handling

"Why don't we head into my private changing room and get dressed for the party?" Rouge asked.

I looked at Itchy with question as Rouge dragged me away by my arm. She walked me upstairs to her pent house and took me to the closet. She turned on the light to reveal rows of different clothes and accessories.

"Isn't it beautiful?" she asked

"Uh...yeah sure." I replied.

Rouge walked around the closet with a happy strut while looking at the exotic clothing.

"I got these lovely trinkets from all over the world."

"That's nice." I answered.

I don't want to be rude, but I really don't care about this kind of thing. I'm not that kind of girl who's all about designer dresses and stuff. I'll just play along and let Rouge have her fun.

"Now then" she said "let's get dressed."

Rouge started to unbuckle her chest plate and undress herself. I turned away to give her some privacy and look around. While I don't have an eye for fashion, I can still see that every bit of clothes in the closet seemed quite expensive. Each dress seemed very detailed and colorful. Each one was also covered in big jewels that seem awfully real. How could she afford all this anyway?

"So tell me, how do you know that fuzz ball anyway?" Rouge started.

"Do you mean Itchy?" I asked.

"Yes the dirty one, the one you walked in with." She added.

"We met when I asked him to fix my shoe, after that we met at Sanctuary where his brother was kidnapped along with the others. He wants to save those kids so I came with."

"Why didn't you just call the other freedom fighters? That communicator of yours seems to be working fine." I looked at the communicator on my wrist.

"I don't know, I guess I've been so busy I forgot."

"You know what? On second thought you probably shouldn't."

"Why's that?"

"Whoever took those kids knew what they were doing. They would have to keep a pretty good eye on the freedom fighters to pull off such a job. If they saw your friends moving closer and closer thanks to what you know, there's no telling what they might do. They may very well kill the kids."

I never thought about it that way before but she's right. Somehow they knew where Sanctuary was and somehow they managed to find Itchy and tried to kill him. They must have eyes everywhere and considering that they plan on getting rid of the freedom fighters, it would make sense they have eyes on them too.

"My advice would be to keep it to just you two. The fewer numbers, the less of a threat you seem. The less of a threat you seem, the less they pay attention to you. Now, how do I look?"

I turned around and got a good look at her outfit. She's wearing a midnight blue dress with white glitter resembling the night sky. She's also wearing a black belt and a necklace, both of which bearing the same design as her chest plate. She changed her makeup to a darker tone to match the dress and wore star shaped earrings she changed her gloves for some with a lighter color of the dress and a large aquamarine on the top of each hand. Her high heels were dark blue, nothing more, nothing less. The opening of the dress was awfully large, revealing a large amount of her cleavage.

"You look like the night sky" I commented.

"Thanks, that's what I was going for. Now what should you wear?" She looked around the room and pulled out a large heavily detailed dress that was definitely not meant for walking around and was a little too revealing.

"I don't know..." I looked around and pulled out another, more suitable dress. "How about this one?" The dress I grabbed was a simple light blue dress with a dark blue ribbon across the waist.

"Is that all? It's a little...plain." Rouge doesn't seem too happy with my choice, but she seems to go along with it. "Alright fine, but I get to choose the accessories."

About thirty minutes later Rouge was finally done with me.

"Ta-da! Sorry if I went a little overboard, I don't have a lot of girlfriends to play with."

I look in the mirror and saw...someone else. My quills were brushed and braided into an old Victorian hair style and tied with a light blue ribbon and a silver tiara with an emerald rested on my head. My lips are topped with bright red lipstick and my cheeks were tinted with blush. My eyelashes are curled upward and I am wearing pink eye shadow. A bright, white pearl necklace hung from my neck and red pearl earrings hung from my ears. This isn't me...so why does it feel natural?

"Now then, we need an alias." Rouge shouted "If we come in with our real names, we'll be stopped at the door."

"I can understand that. They may have already heard about me being a freedom fighter, but why you?"

"I'm very famous around these parts, for all the wrong reasons. From now on, call me Nails."

"Nails?"

"Yes, that's my alias. What's yours?"

I gave it a thought. A name for myself, what to use? I thought back to home, then to my computer, and finally my blogs. Then I decided.

"Call me...Lady Echo."

* * *

I noticed another thirty minutes has passed when I looked out the window at a clock on the sidewalk. The bright city zoomed by us as we drove through it in Rouge's private white limo. The limo seats were made of black synthetic leather and the floor was glowing blue with neon lights. At the back of the limo was a small bar filled with drinks and snacks with a fish tank filled with exotic fish at the center. At the other end was a large television screen and radio controls. Rouge and I sat in front of each other, we haven't said anything to each other until now.

"So is this your first time in a limo?" She asked.

"Yes it is" I answered "I usually just run everywhere."

"So you're a health nut?"

"No, I can run at high speeds."

Rouge seemed like she was reminded of something.

"Do you know a hedgehog named Sonic?"

My ear twitched at his name.

"Yes I do! Do you know him?"

"I guess you could say that."

"Do you know where he is?"

"Sorry honey, I haven't seen speedy in a long time. You wouldn't happen to know a hot headed echidna do you?"

I tried to remember, the only hot headed echidna I know is...

"You mean Knuckles?"

She smiled, I guess I'm right.

"So how is my little echidna anyway?"

"You know him too?"

"Oh please, I guess you could say I was his first date. We met plenty of times and played our little game of cat and mouse."

I giggled at the thought of an angry Knuckles chasing a laughing Rouge. It's amazing how small this world is.

"Madam Rou...I mean Ms. Nails, we are arriving." Said the driver.

"Alright it's party time. You remember the plan right?"

"Yeah, enjoy the party until you come up with an actual plan."

"And if anyone asks, you're my adopted sister."

The driver walked out of the limo and opened the door for us. We arrived at a large bright building surrounded by people. The building itself looked as if it was made of solid gold thanks to the lights surrounding it. The Mobians around it were nicely dressed and seemed like a much higher up class of citizen than I could ever be.

"Thanks honey, I'll call you when it's time to pick us up." Rouge told the driver as he drove off.

Rouge grabbed my hand and walked me to the front of the building where a large line was waiting to getting inside. We cut ahead in front of everyone. Understandably, everyone was angry, including the bouncer.

"And just what do you think you're doing?" The bouncer stopped us from walking in. He's a large black bull wearing a tuxedo and a large nose ring. "This party is off limits to the general public, invitation only." He spoke with a deep yet raspy voice.

"I think you'll find that we are in fact, invited to this party." Rouge reached into her glove and pulled out an envelope which she then gave to the bull. The bull took one quick look inside envelope and stepped aside.

"Right this way ladies." he escorted us inside until he eventually left to continue tending to the line.

"Did you really have an invitation?" I asked.

"No, but I did have the one thing cows love more than anything...green."

We took an elevator to the fifteenth floor as instructed by the bull and arrived at the party. Everyone there seemed to be a higher class than even the ones downstairs. The Mobians moved around talking to each other about business and other things wealthy people normally talk about. No one seemed to notice us.

"Alright, stick to the plan, have some fun, eat some appetizers, go dance, just stay here." Rouge said before she walked off.

I took one look around the party. The walls are covered with maroon wallpaper and furniture such as mirrors and portrait. There are tables everywhere with chairs for the people to sit and talk at. There are a few other rooms available too, but they're pretty much empty and no one is going in there. A small band was at the corner of the room playing a slow little tune.

After looking around for five seconds, I pouted and sat down on the nearest chair. This isn't where I belong. These people are too stuck up and busy with making more money despite already having enough as it is. In here, I felt encased, as if I'm in a large cage with nowhere to run. I belong out there running around as much as I want. I belong back at the forest where it isn't so crowded.

I must've worried myself to sleep until I was awaken when the band suddenly changed their tone of music to something with a bit more bounce. I look at the clock and saw that another hour has passed since I've been here. Where is Rouge?

"Excuse me..." A light tap on my shoulder snapped me out of thought.

I looked up to see a male Siberian tiger in a tuxedo with his hand out towards me.

"Would you like to dance?" He asked.

I look around to see the others are also dancing to the music. Rouge said that I had to enjoy myself, and right now a dance is the only way to stretch out my legs. I took his hand and he led me to the dance floor.

At first I had a little trouble dancing in a way I never danced before, but I soon got the hang of it. The dance was a simple one-two-step and at certain points of the song we would trade partners. After the tiger I danced with a panda, an ostrich, a rhino, and a female gecko because there wasn't enough male partners. I'm not going to say I was having fun, but I'm glad I was at least able to move around. The song seems to be coming to an end with only enough left for one more partner. The gecko handed me over for a fox, so I simply held out my hands for the next partner. They were greeted by a pair of very large and hairy hands. The white sleeves covering those massive arms are connected to a white coat which is worn above a pair of pants as white as the coat. Directly in front of me is the bottom of an elephants trunk, except it's covered in brown fur. The trunk is connected to an equally furry, large head with massive tusks and ears. Large, green eyes are staring right at me from way above my head. His name is Morgul.

"Well now, I never expected to see a young face in a place like this." He commented.

Morgul is famous around HQ but it's definitely not because we like him. From what I heard, Morgul has lived for thousands of years thanks to the power of a chaos emerald, a powerful stone that holds unlimited power. The freedom fighters first met him when he attacked Angel Island, the home of a certain echidna and the Master Emerald. He later broke free from our prison by threatening to kill three of our friends. I heard that he started up a casino but I didn't expect to find him here! Even if he doesn't know who I am, I hid my face from him.

"Is something the matter? Don't tell me you are intimidated by little old me?" He joked.

I didn't answer but when I took one look at his angry eyes filled with suspicion, I knew I had to say something.

"I'm sorry sir, it's just that I never expected to see someone as famous as you here. Its a little intimidating." that technically is the truth.

"What's your name little miss?"

"Echo, Lady Echo."

"That's an odd name for a hedgehog."

"My ancestors were bats."

He seemed to take the bluff and we continued dancing.

"I can't help but notice that your footing is a little off."

"Well I don't dance all that much."

"How strange, most children are taught this dance at such a young age. I'm starting to get the impression that I am not dancing with a hedgehog, but a fish out of water."

How dare he compare me to a fish! Mystic elephant who forgot to shave or not, that was just rude.

"So tell me, where are you truly from?"

"I'm from...Robotropolis." That's a lie, but if I told him I'm from New Mobotropolis he might get even more suspicious.

"You're a long way from home. How did you find your way here?"

"A friend invited me."

"Most higher-ups prefer to avoid Robotropolis, how do you have connections?" He's asking too many questions way too fast.

"That's because I used to be part of a wealthy family." Another lie.

"Then why are you living in Robotropolis?"

"Because...Robotnick caused my family to go bankrupt!" This is going too far.

"Where did you live before?"

"Grand Metropolis."

"Robotnick has never had power over Grand Metropolis. How did he bankrupt your family?"

"Because my family was working on something that could have changed the world that he wanted so he roboticized my family while I managed to escape to Robotropolis!" I'm sorry Itchy, it's all I can come up with.

It was then that we noticed the music ended a while ago. The entire party was staring at me after I had shouted that lie.

"I am terribly sorry, I had no idea it was a touchy subject." He said with a monotone voice. It was clearly a lie.

We stood there awkwardly on the dance floor. Thankfully a gorilla came up to Morgul and tapped on his shoulder.

"Master Morgul, you are wanted at the penthouse." He whispered, but with my ears I heard it loud and clear.

"Excuse me Lady Echo but I must cut our conversation short." Thank goodness for that "However I dare say I enjoyed our conversation" he pulled a card out of his coat pocket with his trunk and handed it to me" If you ever find the time, perhaps you could give me a call sometime soon.

The card was his business card. It was a simple white card with his full name in red, bold, cursive text with an emerald for a period along with his business information.

"Thanks..." Just go away already.

My wish was granted as Morgul walked off with his servant. I sat down at the nearest table and grabbed a small drink and a mini sandwich from a passing butler. I don't know what it is about him but even if I didn't know who he was, I'd probably still be afraid of him.

I was only able to sit down for about five minutes until someone tugged at my arm. I turned to see Rouge after quite a while.

"So did you enjoy the party?" she asked.

"It was interesting at least." That's an understatement.

"Good. Now come on, we're heading to the penthouse."

* * *

"So what are we doing again?" I asked.

"We're collecting information." Rouge replied.

"I know that. I mean where and how are we going to get it?"

"Are you familiar with a Mammoth named Morgul?"

"More than I wish..."

"Morgul is actually very famous around these parts. Somehow he has the most successful business in all of Casinopolis, and that pretty much makes him the theoretical king no matter how much Eggman claims he is. Anyone that wants to go through Casinopolis has to talk to him." She handed me a black bag, inside was a set of black clothes. "You said that whoever took those kids was using a train to transport them to, or at least through, Casinopolis. Someone was bound to notice those trains and they did. Morgul was instantly notified and demanded to talk to a representative of the company they claimed to be. Rumor has it that he's talking to that representative in the penthouse right now." Rouge dragged me to the ladies room and started changing again, I did the same.

"How do you know all this?" I asked.

"I always have my eye on Morgul, and when you mentioned the trains, I knew this is the information you're looking for."

"So how do we get up there?" I asked as I wiped the makeup off my face with a wet towel "The elevator is definitely going to be guarded."

"Who said anything about the elevator?" Rouge said as she applied makeup much like the ones she was wearing when we first met her.

She was wearing a black jumpsuit that completely covered her from her feet to her neck with a heart shaped chest plate which I pretty much recognize as her trademark symbol. She's wearing two bandanas to completely cover her head expect her eyes.

I myself have also finished changing. I'm wearing a black jumpsuit that goes over my boots with a black kimono and a white belt. Just like Rouge my head is covered with Bandanas that cover everything except my ears, eyes, and tips of my quills. Instead of tying them, they're held in place by a pin with Rouges signature emblem. I'm also wearing fingerless gloves like the one Itchy usually wears, in fact they kind of look like his, they're worn down like his too...they are his.

"Sorry honey but the gloves worked with the outfit."

"Alright so if we're not taking the elevator, are we going to take the stair?" I asked.

"Nope." She grabbed my hand and led me down the hall towards the window "We're going to fly up."

She opened the window and I looked down, it's a long way down. I looked up, it's a long way up. How does she expect me to climb the building?

"Here's the plan, I'm going to fly up while carrying you. Simple right?"

"You plan on carrying me all the way up there? Are you sure you can carry me?"

"Trust me, I lift. Besides you can't be that heavy, how much do you weigh?"

I didn't answer.

"Good, never reveal your weight, keep the boys guessing."

Suddenly she grabbed me and jumped out the window. We fell for a good five seconds until she opened up her wings and started to rise. As she rose I got a better view at Casinopolis, and it's beautiful. It looks as if someone grabbed a star, broke it into hundreds of tiny pieces, and turned each piece into a building. Something was missing though, the real stars. I looked up at the night sky and couldn't see any of them.

Sometime later Rouge safely lowered me onto the top of the building and pulled out a speaker with a plastic, see-through suction cup connected to it by a wire.

"If I just hovered us next to the window we're sure to get caught, so we're going to use this to eavesdrop on them."

She slowly lowered the cup to the penthouse window and gave it a slight flick, causing it to stick to the window. She then started fiddling with the speaker. At first it was static but proper English was slowly becoming clear.

"So...see...Morgul... We...on hoping to help with Casinopolis's funding problem by bringing in more customers in one easy step that would cost no one anything." Said a nasally voice of an old guy.

"And how do you plan on doing that?" Said a deep voice that no doubt belongs to Morgul "And you still haven't explained why you tried to drive a train through my fair town with some...unusual cargo."

"Yes that. Well you see, our company was trying to sponsor some of the orphanages and they wanted us to move some of the children from one orphanage to another due to limited space."

"Then why were they in containers?"

"We had our shipment mixed up."

"A likely story, but when we looked at the children's information, we couldn't help but notice some of the children actually belonged to existing families."

"It's...it's a miracle."

"Yes. Well rest assured those children have been returned to their families and the rest are being held at a local orphanage until your sponsor comes to pick them up."

"I am...grateful" The nosy voice sounded quite annoyed. I can't believe I'm thinking this but thanks Morgul.

"Now, about your plan."

"Ah yes, it's very simple. We hold a grand contest that nobody can ignore."

"A contest?"

"Well to be more precise, a tournament, a fighting tournament. Like or not Casinopolis is filled some of the most ruthless brutes who would gladly punch in a defenseless old man for a penny. Why not put these ruffians to good use and make some money? The ruffians let loose all their rage for free and in a secluded area, and the people pay for admissions and bet on their favorite fighter."

"For a company that is sponsored by orphanages, your idea seems awfully brutal."

"Oh I assure you this is perfectly safe and well thought out. No one will be injured seriously and there will be a grand prize at the end. All the money will be given to your fair city so long as you sponsor us."

"What is your true motive?"

The other voice remained silent for a bit, he was probably thinking of an excuse.

"We wish to study the Mobian psyche is all. We study both neglected orphans and brutal thieves to see how the connection between them and find ways to prevent the change."

"A likely story. What was your company called again?"

"NEXGEN sir."

My ears twitched when I heard that name. Rouge noticed.

"I take it that's our guy?" She asked.

"No doubt about it, everything we heard was a lie." I answered.

"If this guy is under Morgul's suspicion, he's going to be under his guard until he gets what he wants."

"So what do we do?"

"Simple, we join that tourna..." Rouge was cut short as a large hairy arm wrapped around her mouth and lifted her in the air. Another arm grabbed me too. It was the gorilla.

"Looks like we got ourselves a couple of nosy rats." he grunted.

He dragged us downstairs and was joined by the Bull from the entrance who talked into his earpiece alerting his boss that we're coming to see him. We were soon in front of the meeting room doors.

"What the devil is this?!" said the old ostrich at the other end of the table with a nasally voice.

"My apologies Mr. Beak but it seems we have some uninvited guests." Said Morgul. "And I have a good idea who they might be."

He removed Rouge's mask "Rouge the bat, the jewel thief herself. I knew you would probably try to crash the party so I took every precaution. It's a shame too, all you had to do was ask for an invitation and I would've gladly given you one, along with a pair of pretty handcuffs."

"You're too kind Morgul." Rouge replied sarcastically.

"And you even brought a friend" He removed my mask next "Lady Echo? And I thought we became such good friends after our little dance."

"Don't listen to that bird brain!" I shouted "Everything he told you was a lie! NEXGEN kidnapped all those kids from Sanctuary for their evil purposes!"

The ostrich seemed taken aback by the truth.

"That is a serious accusation Echo, how would you even know about such a thing?"

"Because...I'm a Freedom Fighter! My real name is Sonar and NEXGEN attacked me and my friends when we tried to get the kids back. I was one of the fighters that stopped the other train from delivering the rest of the kids!"

Morgul said nothing. He just turned to Beak expecting an answer.

"I have no idea what she's talking about, we only have the one train and we never even heard of Sanctuary, let alone know it's location. If you ask me it seems you Freedom Fighters don't seem to be doing a swell job. Perhaps Mobius would be safer without you."

"Enough slander!" Morgul shouted "I'm not sure if I could trust either of you. At this moment each one of you are officially under my hold. The ladies will be sent to my personal Hotel where they will be under house arrest until further notice. As for you Mr. Beak, you will continue with this tournament but if I so much as hear any mention of your company outside this circle I will make sure your company will be terminated!"

We were all silent for some time, clearly intimidated by the upset Mammoth.

"Everyone including myself will take the elevator to the parking lot and we will leave quietly, UNDERSTAND?!"

We slowly walked to the elevator and remained quiet all the way down. We reached the first floor and headed out the door into the parking lot. Morgul and Beak walked towards some sort of old classic car while the bodyguards took us to a large black van carrying wine.

"Nice set of wheels Morgul. "Rouge commented.

"I prefer to collect these sorts of things. It's for the sake of nostalgia, you wouldn't understand. Take the ladies to the southern hotel and lock them in first available room nice and tight. And as for you Mr. Beak, you have some explaining to do."

He drove off while we were pushed into the van and drove off as well. About five minutes in we suddenly stopped.

"What's going on? We can't have reached the hotel already." Shouted the Gorilla.

The doors flung wide open and it is revealed that we are parked in an alley surrounded by Mobians wearing an all too familiar armor. They shot the gorilla on the spot and dragged him out like a sack of potatoes.

"It's about time you got here." said one of the grunts.

"Well sorry, we didn't expect these two to show up." Said the Bull, now revealed to be a double agent.

"Where's the Mammoth and the boss?"

"The Mammoth drove off with the boss. We'll have to kill him later."

"And what about these two?"

"It has to look like an accident. Let's take them out for a swim."

* * *

We've been driving for quite some time. We just sat there on crates filled with wine being stared down by large guns held by two grunts and the bull.

Rouge started to look at me and began to look at my back where my hands were tied much like her own. She started to elbow me very hard.

"Ow! What do you think you're doing?" I whispered.

"Sorry honey but could you tell me the time?" She whispered back

"It's not a watch remember?" My ears suddenly twitched. It's not a watch!

I started pressing the communicator's buttons.

"No man I'm straighter than an arrow." Bingo! That's definitely Itchy.

"Who said that?" asked one of the Grunts.

"That was me, sorry I was just telling her a joke to keep our spirits up. So we're in a black van tied up heading to our doom. Where exactly is that?" I asked.

"Shut up, we're taking you to the docks so you can swim with the fishes." Said one of the grunts.

"The docks huh? I guess that means we're taking Lady Luck Lane because that's the fastest way there right Sonar?"

"Oh yes, looks like we'll be drowned because we got caught after all with no back up whatsoever. Hey Rouge, do you mind helping me out? I feel like an itch has got my back."

"Funny way to say she's got an Itch. "Mumbled one of the grunts.

* * *

Who knew waiting for our deaths would be so boring. We've been driving for at least an hour and even the grunts don't seem all that excited either.

"So while we're waiting for our swim do you mind if I get a drink?" Rouge asked.

They didn't answer, no one answered. Probably because before anyone could, we were rammed at the side.

"What the hell was that?" The bull asked.

"I think we were hit." One of the grunts answered.

"I know that you numb-skull, I mean what hit us?"

Without waiting for an answer, the bull punched a hole in the wall where the Impact came from, looked out for a second, and jumped away right before another impact.

"We're under attack!" He shouted. "Shoot them down!"

The grunts followed orders and began showering the wall with bullet holes.

"They got guns!" A voice shouted from the attacker.

"Yeah well I got a plasma blaster!" Shouted a familiar voice. He came.

"I had enough of this, get on top and shoot them from there." The bull punched open the doors and all three of them climbed out on top of the van.

Rouge suddenly started rustling her arms and out of nowhere, broke free. She waved her hand revealing a small knife and started to cut my bonds too.

"Stick with me kid and I can teach you every trick in the book." She commented, and I might consider it.

We looked out the holes in the wall and saw the Scumbucket being fired at by the grunts on top. Suddenly the truck sped past the van and the bar keep from the casino climbed out from the trailer with a Molotov in his hand and lunged it at the front of the van. The van swerved around as the drive panicked and the grunts staggered. From the passenger side Tyler the kangaroo hopped on top of the trailer and jumped towards the top of the van, kicking one of the grunts off the top and onto the road. I couldn't see what was happening on top but a lot of gunfire was heard.

"Come on, let's show those boys whose boss." Rouge climbed up on top of the truck and I followed, only to see poor Tyler lifted by his tail, and tossed off the van.

"Is he...?" I asked as I watched Tyler tumble down the street.

"Tyler's a strong boy, he won't die without my permission."

"Rouge tackled the other grunt before he could fire while I had trouble climbing on top of the Van. A stray bullet nearly hit my head and I ended up hanging by only the grips of my fingers. Suddenly I heard a loud scream. It was Rouge, I think she's been...I didn't even have a chance to think of the possibility before I was suddenly looking down the barrel of a gun. I thought this was the end of my adventure. I never got to save those kids.

"Sonar!" shouted a familiar voice.

The grunt stiffened after a bright blue light flashed behind him and he just...disappeared. He fell apart into tiny little pieces like paper if it gets wet. I hung there surprised by what I just witnessed, I didn't even notice the hand being held out to help me until he shouted at me.

"Take my hand you air head!" I grabbed his hand and he pulled me on top of the van.

Rouge is still alive! She's currently engaged with the bull on the other side of the van but she seems to have a limp, she was shot in the leg. I hugged Itchy as hard as I could, then I slapped him.

"Ow! What was that for?" he asked.

"Because you're too slow!" I shouted. I then gave him another big hug.

"Excuse me, a little help would be fine!" Rouge shouted as she was in a lock.

Itchy pulled out a...hair dryer from his...overalls?

"Damn, it's not fully charged yet." He grumbled over the hairdryer.

"What the heck is with the hair dryer? And what was that bright light?" I asked.

"Oh right that, I built a plasma gun out of the goop gun from the train."

"What? How did that happen?"

"I was confused about it too, but looking at it, it's actually quite simple. You see..."

"Will you two stop yapping and help me here?!" Rouge was currently in a bear hug by the bull.

I tackled the bull as hard as I could, causing him to stagger back on the hood of the van and releasing Rouge.

"Rouge you've been hit!" I noted.

"You don't say!" She shouted.

I looked at the Scumbucket and saw the barkeep driving. I lifted Rouge and hopped towards the truck and lowered her into the passenger seat.

"What are you doing?" She asked.

"You're in no condition to fight, stay here where it's safe."

"Don't worry madam Rouge, I'll take good care of you" said the barkeep.

I looked at the van and saw two more grunts climb out of the front and onto the top while armed with guns. I took no time to say goodbye and hopped back onto the van right between Itchy and the grunts.

"Nice to see you again." Itchy joked.

"So tell me, how did you make a laser gun again?"

"Well it's a long story." The grunts aimed their guns at us.

"Tell it as we go along!" I said as I kicked a grunts gun out of his hand.

"Well for starters, you may have noticed my outfit. I can now say I was once a stripper." He explained as he wrestled the other grunt for his gun "I pretty much rebuilt the whole casino back to working order for nothing" He continued as I began punching my grunt in the gut. "I ended up passing out and turned the goop gun into a plasma gun with nothing more than a few items." He tossed the gun off the van and put the grunt in a headlock.

"Wait, you built it in your sleep?" I asked as I kicked the grunt in the crotch.

"I tend to sleep tinker but more on that later. You see the thing is, the gun only had a small amount of goop inside it because that's all it needed. When the goop gets hit my electricity it starts to make more of itself and they used the buildups pressure to shoot the goop. Then when the goop meets oxygen, it starts to eat away at any matter it can find. The problem was that it wasn't very useful. It turns out the goop responds to electricity because in a way, it's solid energy, and if it's heated, it gets thinner. So I used a hair dryer to get it heated and used a laser pointer along with pieces of a disco ball so that when it expands, it will be concentrated forward and out of the gun because it will follow the laser light. I then used the goo from a lava lamp so that it stays in a plasma like state." He explained as he continuously punched his grunt in the face after knocking the helmet.

"So basically you got a laser gun now right?" I asked while I held my grunt by the throat with my legs.

"Actually it's a plasma gun. Also Tyler is gay."

"Oh I already knew that."

"Wait, you knew?"

"Yeah, it's a girl thing." I tossed my grunt off the van while Itchy tossed his.

We looked at each other with accomplishment in our eyes. Itchy gave me a thumbs up only to be punched in the head by, who else, the bull. He just grabbed me and climbed back into the back of the van where he pulled out knife and put it next to my throat. Itchy soon followed.

"Hold up there little man, one more step and this girl gets gutted."

"Don't call me a little man." Itchy pulled out his laser gun and pointed it at the bull.

"You wouldn't dare!" Shouted the bull.

"You saw what this thing can do, if it hits you, you're dead, and you're a pretty big target compared to her."

They stood there at a standoff until the bull began to talk.

"I give you the girl, but you give me the gun." He demanded.

"...Fine by me." Itchy answered.

The bull dropped me and pushed me towards Itchy. Itchy replied by putting the gun on the ground and sliding it towards the bull.

"Alright, you got what you wanted." Itchy said.

"You really are a dumb-ass, aren't you?" the bull aimed at us with the gun and pulled the trigger, nothing happened.

"Now who's the dumb-ass? If I could've shot you don't you think I would've? A weird, futuristic sound like a toy laser gun was heard, and the ball at the end of the gun lit up. "Oh crap."

"Dumb-ass" The bull took aim.

* * *

I woke up completely submerged underwater with no memory of what just happened. The last thing I remembered was the feeling of weightlessness on the van. I think I could figure out what happened. We must've finally reached the docks and drove off the edge and into the ocean. I looked around and noticed I was next to the wine boxes that have fallen toward the front of the van. The entire van was driven head first so the van was facing straight down. I looked to my left and saw Itchy trying to pull his leg out of the boxes. I swam over to him and helped him pull his leg out and we began to swim out of the van. I felt something grab my tail and screamed. I looked back and saw a large black hand grabbing my tail, it's the bull, and he seems pissed. I tugged on Itchy's leg and pointed towards the bull. Itchy looked around and found the laser gun on the floor. Without even the slightest of hesitation, he shot the bull and watched as he disintegrated while he seemed to be screaming in pain. I then began to feel lightheaded and was horrified to remember that I just screamed underwater. I must've lost pretty much all my air! I alerted Itchy and he seems to understand. For what seems to be no reason, he took off his shoes, grabbed my arm, and started to swim at an unusually fast pace. I looked up to the surface, it's awfully far out. Even at Itchy's speed I don't think we'd make it in time. My lungs feel like they're about to burst and I started to black out. I looked up to Itchy, I don't think he notices, either that or he did, he's just trying to make sure it doesn't happen. I know I'm dragging Itchy down, and really, he has more of a reason to see those kids safe than me. I let go of his hand and began to sink. I started to smile at the idea of Itchy finally hugging his brother, it's just a shame I don't know what he looks like, or his name. I closed my eyes as I sank. Goodbye my friends, I hope you're not mad about not coming back. Goodbye Itchy, I hope you find your brother. Goodbye...Sonic. I can almost see him, running towards me. I can see us running through the forest, racing towards home. I can see him buying me a chili dog while we watch the stars at night. I can see us standing on a hill while we hug, he's lifting my chin with his fingers and gives me our first, long waited kiss. We stand there and embrace each other's lips. He slowly fills my lungs with air...wait, that last part's not right.

My eyes shot open as I was given life again. My lungs began to inflate, but I'm still underwater. How is this possible? My vision soon adjusted itself and I was met with the face of a hedgehog, but not the one I wanted. It's Itchy, and we're kissing. He soon broke our seal and gave me a good look over to see if I'm okay. When he dubbed me well, he grabbed my hand and started swimming towards the ocean's surface and we actually made it! I took a deep breath of fresh air and looked at Itchy. He was blushing and wouldn't look at me.

"Hey you down there!" Someone shouted from the docks. It's Rouge along with the barkeep and Tyler.

We swam back to the docks where Rouge gave me a big hug.

"Don't you ever do anything like that again! I thought you were dead!" Rouge shouted. I swear she looks like she wants to cry, but is trying to hide it.

"I'd be lying if I told you I wasn't"

"Excuse me?"

"I did die, but Itchy brought me back." We looked at Itchy, who is currently getting a big hug from Tyler, much to his dislike. "Something bugs me though." I walked up to Itchy who suddenly blushed and started to look away. "You managed to somehow fill my lungs with air underwater even after how long it took to get to me. How did you have so much air?"

"I uh...I can hold enough air for ten minutes." He said while shying away.

"What? How could you do that? And how can you swim so fast?" I asked loudly.

He motioned towards his feet. I looked down and was shocked to see his webbed toes.

"I'm part platypus."

This is somewhat new to me, I always assumed he was a pure hedgehog because I never really saw anything past his clothes. This shouldn't be a surprise to me though, hybrids aren't uncommon, and even I'm one.

"Hold on now I thought you were part bird." Tyler commented "On the count of your tail feathers."

I was surprised by this sudden wave of information and looked at Itchy.

"Tail feathers?"

"Yes I have tail feathers and they're very sensitive so I hide them in my pants."

"Can I see them?" I asked. He blushed even harder.

"I think I'd like to see them too." Rouge added.

We crowded around Itchy, urging him to show his tail.

"Alright I'll show you!" He shouted. He unbuckled his overalls and let them fall to the floor.

He turned around and showed us his tail. It's pointed like a hedgehog tail but was covered with feathers instead of fur. The tip of the tail was black where the feathers are longer.

"It looks like a tiny feather duster." I commented.

"Alright you saw it. Can I put my pants back on?"

I answered him by pulling off a feather. He jumped in pain and looked at me with hot blood rushing to his face and anger in his eyes.

"Why you...!"

"That's so cute! I think I'll hold onto it." I put the feather in my pocket just before Itchy tackled me and tried to take it. Everyone laughed as he tried to wrestle the feather out of me.

"Alright everyone enough jokes, we got a job on our hands." Rouge said seriously.

"We got a tournament to attend."


	11. Chapter 11: James? joins the fray

How About an Adventure? Ch.11: James? Joins the fray

The next day we visited the local hospital which we were confined in for a few weeks. Rouge and Tyler seemed to have gotten the worst of it. Rouge was shot in the leg by one of the grunts so she won't be able to walk for a while. Tyler's right leg and tail were broken by the bastard bull and he broke his arm when he was thrown off the van. Sonar seems pretty okay, she got out of all that with just a slightly crushed tail thanks to the bull and water in her lungs. At the moment, only Ernie and I can stand up. Ernie got out injury free and I ended up chipping a tooth. We were resting at the hospital in the same room like we requested and apart from a few cuts and bruises, I'm glad we got out of that mess intact. The nurse came in with our breakfast. She's a long eared vixen.

"Do you need anything else Mr. Featherworth?" The nurse asked.

I looked at the others with no response "That'll be all, thank you." I answered.

Ernie and I were sitting at a table at the back of the room next to the large window while the others were in their beds wearing their robes. I handed our meals to the others after the nurse left. Leek soup with carrots, yummy.

"So let me get this straight" I began "NEXGEN is going to host a tournament in the middle of town, but for what purpose?"

"I don't know. He said it was for the purpose of studying the Mobian psyche but that's obviously a lie." Sonar explained.

"And what about the kids?" I asked.

"Morgul took them. He sent the ones with families home and is holding the rest in an orphanage for now." Sonar explained again.

I heard about Morgul but only in the newspapers. I heard he's some kind of businessman that took over Casinopolis with no effort. No one knows where he came from, he just came in and bought out the entire town with his own money. What does NEXGEN want with him?

"One things for sure, we're not going to solve this mystery laying around here." Rouge stated "I say we should join that tournament and play along until they reveal their plan for us."

"It's not that simple, they already know who we are and will shoot us on sight. The only ones they don't know are Tyler and Mr. Barkeep, but Tyler's all beat up." Sonar explained.

"And there's no way I'm stepping into that ring. My name's Ernie by the way."

We sat there for a bit trying to think of a plan. Everything we could think of was immediately shot down with plenty of reasons why it would fail. About an hour passed until Ernie decided to turn on the television, guess what commercial was playing? The commercial went on to explain the tournament, how it works, what it's for, where it will be, and most importantly the deadline for submissions...which is in a few hours.

"Alright listen, we're never going to get anything done just sitting here, and we're not going to get any closer if we just wait. Morgul won't listen to us so that means nobody will." Said Tyler.

"Agreed, we have to get Morgul's attention. But how?" Sonar asked.

"That's simple" Rouge laughed "We'll use my name. Morgul doesn't like me all that much and when he sees my casinos name floating around the tournament, he's going to come to us for answers."

"But Club Rouge is such a small and isolated business compared to the ones sponsoring the tournament. Even if we did sponsor it, we'll be a shrimp in a pod of whales." Ernie explained.

"We're not going to sponsor the tournament, we're going to sponsor our very own fighter." Rouge explained.

"But none of us can fight right now, and Ernie's to afraid to fight." Sonar noted.

"I'm not scared! I have a bad back!" Ernie shouted.

"Then that means the only one who can join the tournament now is..." I silenced myself when I saw Rouge looking at me. "Maybe we could just wait till the tournaments over?" I asked.

"If we wait until after the tournament, Morgul will be completely on their side and they'll probably skip town before we could even touch them. Besides, you still work for me remember?" Rouge was right about that.

"But I'm no fighter!"

"Yes you are, you seemed pretty capable yesterday." I know Sonar is trying to compliment me and give me courage but please stop.

"Against one dumb grunt without a gun yeah but we're talking about big guys who fight for their lives twice before breakfast! If I went to a normal high school, I'd be the nerd getting his lunch money stolen every day! Besides we already established that they'll recognize us." I persuaded.

We sat there a little longer. No one said anything after I shot down that last idea. Everyone seemed to be in deep thought while I ate my soup and Tyler had fallen asleep with his soup on his bed. Suddenly, he twitched, kicking the soup into the air and landing on, where else, me. The orange slop was drenched over my head and stained my fur. The others laughed as the accident broke the tension in the room. I was not amused. Sonar suddenly stopped laughing.

"Hey Rouge, can I borrow some makeup?"

* * *

The tournament is going to be held at an old football field that was scheduled for demolition but was postponed for the fight. At the moment we're in Rouge's private limo. The seats were made with leather, there's a bar with a fish tank on one end and a TV at the other and the floor was lit up. I looked out the tinted window waiting for my doom. I looked at the girls, both wearing disguises with large fur coats and big fancy hats. They watched as I downed a soda in a few seconds.

"You need to calm down Itchy, you're going to get yourself sick." Sonar warned.

"Good, then I can get out of this mess!"

"Quit your whining toy boy, just think about the children you need to save." As much as I hate to admit it Rouge was right. If we plan on saving the kids, I have to go through with this.

I sat there stiff as a bored, sweat ran down my brow and my leg would not stop twitching.

"Oh hang on" Sonar moved towards me with a small rag and a brush.

She dabbed the rag on my forehead to get rid of the sweat and used the brush to cover up small patches of brown fur which hides under my new coat of orange.

I remember when the first coat was added in the first place, it was only a few hours ago. After we had checked out of the hospital we went straight back to the casino and into Rouges condo. Sonar went straight to the closet and came out with all sorts of cosmetics. Her first step was to change my color by dying my entire coat orange. This took about an hour so as I waited, she and Rouge went shopping for an outfit. They returned with a green shirt and a pair of jeans which seems to be two jeans of different shades sewed together as well as some grass green shoes and some biker gloves just as I finished dying my fur. Sonar then brushed my quills into a group of large spikes, kinda like that sonic guy. She then dyed the top, front, tiny quills on my forehead black. Finally Rouge made me put on a pair of green contacts and made me chew joke bubblegum to make my teeth look orange.

"And done. I think this is our best work yet." Rouge congratulated herself and Sonar.

I looked in the mirror to see...a douchebag. I look like some kind of guy with a startling crooked smile. The kind of guy who would probably hang with the crazy people for kicks. I looked completely alien. If a guy like this existed for reals, I hope I'm never in the same room with him.

"How long do I have to wear this?" I asked.

"As long as you need to win the tournament." Rouge answered.

"And you expect me to win a fighting tournament?"

"Yes, because we believe in you." Sonar said with a smile. Damn that smile, I could never turn it down.

So now I'm in a limo. Not the first time though, I used ride in plenty when I was younger. I looked out the window and saw the stadium all lit up like a sun. I looked back at Sonar who simply smiled.

"We've arrived Madame Rouge." The driver announced as he parked the limo. The driver climbed out of the driver's seat and opened the door for us. The driver's actually a lot smaller than I thought he'd be considering Rouge's tastes. He's a tiny bloodhound about half my height wearing a tuxedo and a driver's cap and pushing around a wheelchair. He held out his hand for the girls as they climbed out and assisted Rouge on the wheelchair while I climbed out from another door. Sonar took Rouge from the driver and pushed her towards the stadium. It's no wonder she wanted the big coats, it covers up her wrapped tail completely. Meantime Rouge showed off her legs cast while riding in a custom wheelchair with her heart symbol from her breast plate on the back.

The front of the stadium was surrounded by a large crowd trying to purchase admissions. Instead we went through the back where a much smaller line waited. The line was filled with large, muscular, and very threatening Mobians, sometimes with one or more upper class businessperson to sponsor them. We arrived at the back of the line behind a large yak in a suit and a small purple cobra in weird foreign attire. Sonar tapped the cobra on the shoulder.

"So are you sponsoring this guy? What's with the tux?"

"Actually, I'm sponsoring her." The yak answered.

Our attention was instantly moved towards the cobra who hissed at us with daggers in her eyes. I can now get a better look at her outfit which I could describe as Arabic. The blue veil, the blue head piece, the blue pants, her entire blue outfit reminded of old fashion Arabic belly dancers. Is she a fighter or the half time show? She hissed even louder and grew angrier, as if she heard my insult.

"Easy Zaza, save it for the tournament." the Yak ordered.

The cobra backed off, but not before spitting on my forehead, dangerously close to my eye.

"Zaza, a fitting name if you ask me." Rouge commented.

"We didn't ask you." I answered as Sonar wiped the spit off my head.

"I'd be careful if I were you. That's not spit, and I heard cobras never miss by accident."

Sonar and I stiffed up at that information. I was so afraid of all the guys with big muscles, I completely forgot about what else they can do.

We waited in line for another hour, every now and then snake girl would look back at me, not us, me specifically and hiss. What's her problem anyway? I haven't even said one word to her. I guess I have that effect on snakes, or maybe women in general. It must be the disguise.

We're finally near the end, the only one left is cobra girl and yak man.

"Yes I would like to sponsor Miss Zaza here for the tournament as a representative for the Yaka Insurance Corporation." Said the yak.

"I'm sorry but she's not allowed to join the tournament." Said the moose behind the booth. Snake girl didn't seem very happy about it.

"And why is that?" Said the irritated yak

"Because" The moose started as he pulled out a large pile of papers "Females are an important necessity as they create life and help it grow. All females should be treated with extra care and must never be harmed." He read from the pile.

"Thatsss...insssulting!" What do you know? The snake speaks. Albeit barely.

"Pardon the girl she isn't accustomed to our language yet, but she does have a point. This is absolutely degrading to all women everywhere!" The yak shouted.

"Well it ain't my rules, this is from the holders of the tournament themselves. They think women are sacred or something." The moose explained.

The snake girl hissed her loudest hiss yet and stared like death into the moose's eyes, then she just left. I'm surprised she didn't spit on...she just spat on my face again. The yak chased after her.

"Tantrum or not, she has a point." Rouge commented.

"I agree, she has every right to be upset. What do you think Itch...err." Sonar stopped herself before blabbing out my name. What's the point of a disguise if I'm still using my real name?

"Well I also think she's in the right, but I wish she would stop spitting on me." I answered.

"Oh quit your complaining." Rouge ordered.

"Maybe it's her way of showing she likes you?" Sonar said.

"I feel so loved." I said sarcastically.

"If you three are done bickering, maybe you would like to sign up?" The moose interrupted.

'Oh yeah, sorry" I grabbed the pen from the moose and began writing down my information. Species, blood type, age, height, weight, everything except my name. I looked at the girls hoping for an answer.

"What's the matter kid, don't you know your own name?" The moose asked.

"He has amnesia!" Sonar quickly shouted. I looked at her with a puzzled face. What kind of explanation is that if I could answer everything else?

"Well he needs some kind of name if he wants to join the tournament." Explained the moose, who actually seems to be falling for it.

"I think I'll call him James." Rouge suggested. Well, more like demanded.

We looked at her and she simply smiled back. Rouge grabbed the pen and wrote down "James Slugcommando." under name.

"James it is then. Welcome to the fray." The moose announced. He motioned towards a door to the right. "All contestants must wait in that room until the tournament begins."

I looked at Rouge and whispered "Slugcommando?"

"Because Ammomarine sounded too cliché" She whispered back.

We walked towards the door but the moose stopped us "Sorry, only the contestant may enter the waiting room. Sponsors get their own booth on the left." He pointed to a door on our right.

"Well I guess this is goodbye for now." Sonar said. "If anything, try to survive okay?" She said with a worried expression.

I looked at her and nodded. Then I looked at Rouge.

"Just remember what you're fighting for, and also remember the one thing you have over all these thugs."

"Manners?"

"Brains. Keep that in mind."

I nodded again and watched them enter their door. I looked at my door, took a deep breath, and walked in.

* * *

The door actually led to an underground maintenance tunnel underneath the stadium where I was greeted with a ref. He told me to head down to the left of the tunnel towards a specific room until further notice. Inside the room was a large amount of thugs much bigger than me. They all just stared at me like I was fresh meat. Right now I'm standing by the wall to avoid everyone, but I seem to have caught someone's attention.

"Hello." Said a rather deep and rough voice.

I looked behind me to the large head of a lion with blue eyes staring at me. His mouth was wide open in a smile. I jumped back at the sudden jump scare.

"Oh I'm sorry, I'm not quite good with my uh...introductions." The lion said.

"Damn it man, don't sneak up on a guy like that!" I shouted.

"Sorry, I'm a lion, it's an instinct."

"I can see that."

"Let me try again, my name is Caesar the Lion." He held out his paw.

"My names James" I shook his paw carefully.

"Hello James, are you as excited about this tournament as I am?" Caesar seemed happier than a kid in a candy store.

"I guess you could say that."

"I'm super excited. A real fighting tournament just like in the movies. I absolutely love to fight it's my favorite thing to do besides eating and sleeping."

"I'll take your word for it."

"So what do you think the prize is?" Caesar asked.

"I don't know, but it better be worth it."

"I sure hope its food, lots and lots of food. Did I mention I love food?"

"You're a special kind of lion aren't you?"

"My doctor says I'm super special."

"Alright then." I'm starting to feel sorry for saying that.

"All contestants prepare for battle." Said an announcer on the P.A.

"Oh boy! I sure hope we have lots of fun James."

"Same here Caesar." I turned to look at Caesar and once again jumped in fear.

The whole time Caesar was talking to me, he was on his belly. Caesar got on his feet and revealed to be at least three times my height with his head as big as me. His gold fur could not cover his huge muscles all over his body. His harvest mane simply made him much more intimidating. He's wearing a pair of large gym shorts that I could wear as a jacket if I wanted too (And I really don't want to) and he's wearing a pair of green flip flops. His tail moved like a snake ready to crush my skeleton with a quick squeeze.

"Oh crap." Is what I thought when I saw the behemoth at his true size.

"Best of luck friend." He patted me on the head and we marched out the doors that suddenly opened up leading to the field.

* * *

"Ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to the first ever Casinopolis Fighting tournament!" Cried the announcer over the speakers.

The crowd went wild as the doors on the four corners of the stadium opened and the contenders including myself walked onto the field. I looked onto the crowd and saw that most were upper class citizens, the life of the upper class must be quite boring if they dropped everything to come out here. I looked above the crowd and saw a booth encased in glass filled with an audience. It's blurry, but I'm sure I can see Sonar waving at me. On the other side of the stadium in another booth was a large hairy elephant. It's the big man himself, Morgul. Naturally he'd want to see a tournament he's funding. Next to him is an ostrich. That must be Beak.

I along with the other fighter spread out around the field keeping a distance between everyone. Snarls and growling could be heard from everyone to everyone.

"Listen to that crowd! Now before we start this thing, I recommend that the squeamish should look away and all children should be supervised. This tournament is brought to you by NEXGEN, the wave of the future is closer than you think. Now as you know, our contenders were once thugs living on the streets on our fair city, but which thug is the biggest, baddest, and strongest thug of all? Which thug makes the boogeyman check under his bed at night? Which thug is the king of the streets? This tournament will give us all the answers!" The announcer continued to babble on making the crowd even more excited and us contenders more anxious. "Now I'm sure a lot of you wouldn't me shutting my yapper so what do you say we start this thing already?"

The crowd cheered even louder as the middle of the field opened up and a platform rose to the surface. On the platform is the announcer encased in thick glass, a white pelican with a black head of hair, wearing a black tux and a headset. The pelican is surrounded by large, yellow, glowing cylinders on pedestals in a circle.

"The rules are simple, around me are sixteen passes needed to continue on to the next round. The contestants have thirty minutes to battle each other for these passes until the buzzer goes off. The last sixteen brawlers holding the passes at the end will move on to the next round and win a consolation prize of five-hundred rings!"

"Great, useless funds." I thought out loud.

"The rules for the fight are small but important. No weapons were allowed to be brought in the ring. However the ring is in fact covered by a large assortment of non-lethal weapons which the contenders may use along with any trick in the book so long as it is non-lethal."

I looked around and sure enough, the field was covered with junk like bats, pans, pipes, anything that could be used as a makeshift weapon.

"The players are ready, the medical professionals are on standby, and I think we waited long enough. Ladies and gentlemen...LETS GET READY TO RUMBLE!"

Loud music started playing loudly through the speakers and the entire hoard of thugs rushed towards the middle as the announcer was slowly lowered to safety. Not a single minute passed before all the passes were taken and at least five thugs were knocked out cold. The thugs didn't just go after the ones holding the passes, they went after anyone in their way. All around me were thugs throwing punches and swiping claws, the sound of metal breaking bones rang through the field. All while the crowd cheered on, watching others bash themselves silly for their enjoyment. I looked up towards the sponsor booth and saw Sonar and Rouge motioning me to get in there and get a pass, but what could I do?

Out in the distance I can see Caesar fighting it out against a large group of thugs while holding a pass in his jaws. He just grabbed them and tossed them around like they were nothing. I can't believe I'm thinking this but for once in my life, I would gladly give up my brains for his brawns.

Is he waving at me? What the hell is that in his hand, another pass? Is he winding up? Don't tell me he's going to toss it at me! Damn it Caesar, not only am I a target now, everyone saw you throw it! Sure enough, a bear started coming at me with a lead pipe, and behind me is a rhino with all the intention of running me through with his horn. There's nothing I could do about it, I just crouched down and decided to wait until it's over. This is karma right here, Ernie and I were the only ones not seriously injured in the chase and I ended up vaporizing two people during the whole thing. Now the universe wants me to suffer because I didn't suffer then. Wow, I'm having a lot of time to think about this. I looked up and noticed the bear was gone, and so was the rhino. I looked for them and to my amazement, they were to my left, toppled on top of each other unconscious. I looked up towards a large monitor which showed a playback of what exactly happened. Because I ducked, the rhino ended up missing and rammed into the bear, leaving me unscathed. I get it now, what Rouge meant. These guys aren't too bright, they're too full of bloodlust to think straight. I grabbed the pass and a red metal bat off the ground and looked around to see a large group of thugs running after me, The closest being a small porcupine and a large anaconda. I quickly did the math, winded up the bat, wait for it, I swung as hard as I could at the porcupine just as the anaconda was about to strike. The poor snake ended up with a mouth full of porcupine and he swung his head back and forth trying to get him out. Next up came a large alligator and an elephant. The elephant charged at me with all his might while I simply laid on my back and held the bat out. The poor fool ran right into it and it hit him in his coconuts, he won't be forgetting that. As I got back on my feet and admired my work I had forgotten about the alligator who locked his jaws on my arm that held the pass. I bashed his head as hard as I could with the bat but he wouldn't give. I bashed and bashed until a roar rang through our ears, a panther was charging at us. Without thinking, I jammed the bat into the alligator's mouth, pried it open, and jumped inside (not my best plan but it's all I could think of.) Inside the gators gut I could hear him whimper and trying to get me out. Suddenly the walls of the gators innards started to jerk violently towards me as the gator shouted in pain. The panther was punching the gator in the gut trying to get me out. I fell over on my side as the gator fell unconscious and with one stomp from the panther, I shot out of him like a cannon. He grabbed me by my leg and lifted me so that we're at eye level. He growled at me with horrible intentions but stopped to look past me, behind me was a large hippo who grabbed me from the panther and proceeded to pound him with me like a flail. The hippo grabbed the pass and tried to take it from me but I wouldn't let go. He grabbed me from feet with his other hand and tried to pull me off the pass as hard as he could, so hard in fact he ended up popping my back in three different places which would feel good if he didn't pull even harder. The hippo pulled and pulled by my shoes until they finally let loose, my shoes that is, and I was catapulted towards the hippos face with the back of my head. The hippo shouted in pain as my quills punctured his head and tried to pull me off with his hands until he succeeded, but I still held the pass.

This went on for quite some time. A big guy comes after me, I outsmart him with his own weight and use him to take out even more guys. Somewhere along the line I started feeling bad about this, I'm using their lack of education to my advantage like some jerk, but then a koala bit me and I got over it.

It's down to a minute and a half and right now, I'm up against a snapping turtle. The turtle moved at a fair speed considering he's a turtle, and he snapped at me like I was lunch. I eventually managed to get behind him and tried to grab his tail with my free hand, but he pulled a one eighty in his shell and bit my hand when he popped out. He pulled me inside his shell and proceeded to pummel me ferociously while I had no room to move. At one point he ended up snapping at my pants tearing them off. I didn't know what to do so I curled up again and played keep away until time was up. Suddenly the turtle started laughing uncontrollably and stopped attacking me altogether. When I turned to look at him, stopped and continued attacking. I turned back and he started laughing again, but this time when I turned to look at him he had a feather up his nose, my feather! I grabbed a feather from my tail and started tickling him as fast as I could and the turtle started laughing again.

"Coochi coochi coo." I taunted as the turtle was forced out of his own shell revealing himself to be wearing striped pajamas. I then grabbed his shell and slammed it down on him, knocking him out cold. Then the buzzer went off.

"Alright ladies and gentlemen the battle is over!" The announcer shouted and was I relieved.

I inspected myself and saw how beaten I was. My shirt and pants were torn all over and patches of fur were missing. My nose was broken and my hand got a cramp for holding onto the pass too hard. This is one hell of a day.

The ones who had the pass including myself walked up to the center of the stage announced the winner and gave them a bag of rings.

"Contestant number one: Weighing in at five hundred and fifty pounds of pure muscle, it's Caesar the Lion!" Caesar seemed so happy to be in the spotlight as the crowd cheered. He gave me a thumbs up.

The announcer announced the other contestants with a bag of rings until he reached me as the last contestant.

"And Finally: Weighing in at only one hundred and fifty pounds, with no memory of his former self and with the sharp and tricky mind of a fox, James Slugcommando!" The crowd cheered on as the announcer handed me a bag of rings.

* * *

I walked out onto the parking lot where I was greeted with a hug from Sonar.

"I'm so proud of you. I knew you could do it!" She said with a smile.

I saw Rouge who made her presence known with a cough. I decided to hand her the bag of rings, not like I need them.

"Keep it, you earned it. So how was your first time in a real battle?"

"Terrible, when this is over, I need a vacation."

"Hey, what's the name of that lion who gave you that pass?" Sonar asked.

"Caesar. Why?"

"Hello Caesar." She said.

"Hello." I jumped away as Caesars voice spoke behind me. "Are you a friend of James?" He asked.

"Yes we are, we're also his sponsors." Sonar answered.

"Oh boy! You have sponsors? That sounds nice."

"It isn't." I thought to myself.

"Actually that reminds me, you're supposed to represent my company in this tournament." Rouge pointed out.

"So?"

"With that getup you're not doing a very good job at it. I'm thinking maybe we should get you a new outfit, maybe one with hearts."

"Maybe something tight, and skimpy." Sonar joked.

"That's a great idea, in the next battle I want you to wear the tightest shirt and smallest speedos we can find." Rouge announced.

"Umm, I was joking." Sonar noted as I stared at her with anger.

"Nonsense, no one can ignore you when you wear it, and customers will come all over to get a picture with you."

"Rouge I'm not wearing a speedo."

"You work for me, so yes you are. And ask your lion friend if he wants to work at the casino too." Rouge said as she told Sonar to take her home. Sonar could only mouth the words "I'm sorry." before she left.

"Oh boy a real job, I never had one of those. What kind of job is it?"

I could only stand there and face palm, and then regret it because that was my cramping hand.


	12. Chapter 12: hedgehogs in the bat cave

How About an Adventure? Ch.12: Hedgehogs in the bat cave

"Well, here we are. Welcome to casa de la Rouge."

Rouge invited us into her condo for the third time but with a proper introduction. Of course this time she needed Itchy to carry her and me to carry the wheelchair. Now that we're not being dragged into her closet anymore, I can get a better look at her home. The entire room is covered in maroon wallpaper and the floor has a violet colored carpet. On the other side of the wall is a large window looking over all of Night Babylon and the night sky. The entire living room has your basic furniture like a mirror, a dining table, a couch, even a large stereo system, but what really grabbed my attention was the flat screen TV. That thing covers pretty much the whole wall. Itchy on the other hand seems to be more interested in the large couch in the living room.

"Wow this place is huge!" I exclaimed.

"Yeah, this place is way bigger than my apartment...oh wait. I guess I don't have an apartment anymore." Itchy didn't seem all too happy about this realization.

"Don't worry Itchy, I'm sure I can pull a few strings to get you a house back at New Mobotropolis." I promised.

"And if things don't go well there, you could always stay in Casinopolis and work for me." Rouge likes to joke, I understand that but she's not helping.

Itchy ignored Rouge's teasing and turned on the TV and switched to a news channel. The channel is discussing the tournament and the winners, a picture of "James" appeared out of the sixteen displayed.

"And what an amazing round it was. Who knew watching a bunch of thugs beat each other up would be so fun to watch?" The reporter commented.

"I'd like to see him jump in that hell hole and see how fun it was." Itchy scowled.

"Look on the bright side, the worst part's over. Now it's just one on one and you took on hundreds of them at once."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that." Rouge alarmed.

"Why's that?" I asked.

"The only reason why I won was because I used them to fight each other. Not exactly possible to do with only one guy to fight." Itchy answered.

"Well can't you just use their own weight against them?" I asked.

"That's not a bad idea actually. Why don't you use their weight against them?" Rouge agreed with me.

"Because I don't know how. I'm no fighter I'm an engineer."

"Why not both? What if I told you I know someone that could teach you how to use that brain of yours for hand to hand combat in only a few days?" Rouge suggested.

"I'd say good for you and I didn't ask." Itchy replied.

"Listen to me. I know someone who can teach you Judo, a martial art focused on tossing around your opponents, in only a few days. It'll be tough, but if it means surviving the tournament, it's worth it."

"This is great Itchy!" I shouted "If you can learn a martial art for the tournament, there's no way you can lose!"

"Sonar, look at me. I'm a twig, a bundle of sticks, a pushover. I don't have the muscle to do that sort of thing, and it will take weeks to get that muscle."

"Doesn't sound like a problem to me. The whole point of Judo is to throw their weight around, not yours." Rouge explained.

Itchy doesn't seem to be into the idea so I have no choice but to use my "Secret Weapon". I looked straight into his eyes and smiled, I smiled as cute and innocently as I could because I know he can't resist it. He's trying not to look at me but I know it's eating away at him. He would keep looking back at me to make sure I was doing it, each time with doubt in his eyes until finally he gave in.

"Alright I'll do it!" He shouted. While I don't like using my smile like that, if it means his safety, it's worth it.

"So where is this guy anyway?" He asked.

"Buy me a drink and find out." Rouge taunted.

Turns out Rouge really did want a drink so we took her downstairs to the casino. The casino was completely packed today but no one was at the slots or the tables. Instead they were at the poles watching a very special guest. I don't know why but Caesar seems like he's having a lot of fun on stage. Maybe it's because he has the chance to show off his muscles or maybe it's all the women touching his muscles but he sure does seem happy.

We helped Rouge to the bar where Ernie is currently working.

"Hey boss, what'll it be?"

"Just some ale to numb the pain." Rouge answered.

Ernie spared no skill in his job. Already working on several more orders, bottles of different elixirs flew through the air as he served each customer with great precision. Finally, a small bottle was placed in front of Rouge waiting to be devoured.

"Show off." Rouge taunted as she downed the liquid.

She drank half the bottle before she stopped and offered it to us.

"No thanks" Itchy answered "I'm only nineteen."

"Yeah well, I'm eighteen and you don't see that stopping me." Rouge replied.

"Wait, you're only eighteen?" I asked with surprise.

"Yup."

"Yet you have own a casino/male strip club in the middle of Casinopolis?" Itchy added.

"Yup."

"Not to mention...well just look at you!" I pointed at those water balloons she's hiding underneath her chest plate. They can't be real.

"I drank plenty of milk when I was a kid. You should do the same."

"Hey, I'm happy with my size thank you very much!"

I looked at Itchy for his input, but he was nowhere to be seen. I found him tinkering with a slot machine, it doesn't seem to be broken though. It's almost as if he was trying to avoid the conversation entirely.

After Rouge drank the whole bottle and I grabbed Itchy, we got back to the original topic.

"So who is this Judo teacher anyway?" I asked.

"I met him a while back. I realized that I wouldn't be able to go far using my charms alone, you gotta be able let loose every now and then. I took lessons from about every type of martial arts on the planet, but this guy was different than the others. He crammed so much in my mind in one day that other teachers took weeks to do. It took me only a month to completely master the art."

"So then where is he?"

"He's a lot closer than you think." Rouge started twitching her head towards the bar.

I took one look and saw no one. No one but Ernie anyway.

"Him?" I whispered.

"His methods work great, he had an entire dojo all for his own, but he ended up losing it all."

"What happened?"

"Some snobby crybaby complained that he was too hard on him so Ernie kicked him out. The next day the police apparently received an anonymous tip saying that Ernie was so successful because he injected his students with steroids, the judge and jury didn't seem all that friendly either."

"That's terrible." I looked at Ernie who continued serving drinks not hearing a thing we said.

"Are you sure he's willing to teach me after all that?" Itchy asked.

"Depends, what am I going to teach you?" Itchy and I jumped when Ernie spoke next to us. "Boss I already told you, I'm done with all that."

"Come on Ernie. Don't you miss the good old days when you would yell at your students to try their hardest? What happened to that Ernie who would always punish his students with a ten mile run if they were a millisecond late for class?" Rouge asked

"That Ernie died with my dojo." He answered.

"Don't be like that Ernie, you were...are the best Judo teacher on the planet, and right now these guys need you to do what you do best. Besides you still owe me from last month's poker game."

"I still think you cheated."

"Not that time I did."

Ernie went into deep thought. He gave us a glance, then Rouge, then us again. His eyes grew angry with his inner turmoil. Finally, he spoke.

"Alright I'll do it." He said calmly "But on one condition. You have to do exactly as I tell you to do."

"That's fine by me." Itchy answered.

* * *

"That should be the last of it." I announced.

I just finished putting down the last few weights next to the dumbbell. The last hour was just Itchy, Ernie, and I going back and forth from the basement where Rouge kept all her old junk she never uses. Now the condo upstairs has a giant tarp, punching bags, weights, and safety pads with the couch pushed back against the wall and enough room for plenty of wrestling.

After we set up, Ernie gave Itchy a package and told him to put it on. He slipped on his brand new gray martial arts gi. It's gray because I asked for it, it seemed like the appropriate attire for him. Ernie's wearing a large black one with a white t-shirt underneath.

"Alright, so long as I am wearing this gi you will address me as sensei understand?" Ernie asked.

"Yes sensei." Itchy answered.

"Now then, you have about a week until your next match. I can teach you the basics of Judo in four days at most...I will teach you the basics in only two."

Itchy gulped loudly but stood tall "Y...yes sensei."

"In the meantime, Sonar and I will have ourselves a girls night out." Rouge announced. I gave her a look of confusion.

"We can't let the guys have all the fun this week. I'll show you my favorite hangouts around town." She gave me a wink.

Itchy gave me a look that said "Don't go" but I could only look back with a glare that said "I'm sorry" as Rouge told me to take her outside.

"Alright it's time for an example. I call this the Screaming Spleen." Ernie said as I closed the door. I heard a large thud come from the condo and the ground shook like an earthquake.

"MY SPLEEN!" Itchy shouted in pain.

I turned around and grabbed the door knob but Rouge stopped me before I could open it.

"While his methods are "questionable" he knows what he's doing. Let the rat do his job, it'll be worth it."

I don't think it is.

* * *

Once again I'm watching out the window of the limo with Rouge sitting next to me. We haven't talked much since we left so Rouge started watching her shows on the TV.

"We're arriving Madame Rouge." Said the driver.

"It's about time, any later and all the good ones will be gone." Rouge replied.

"About that, where are we going anyway?" I asked.

Rouge didn't even pause the TV to look at me and just handed me a magazine. The magazine's name is Fallen Angel, a magazine about the latest fashions and recent designer clothing that just came out.

"We're going shopping?"

"A girl's gotta stick with the times. If we got there late all the discounts and latest fashions will have flown off the shelves." Rouge smiled. She seems very happy about this.

We arrived at a store called Dream Caster, a really expensive looking clothing store with multiple floors. I pushed Rouge inside and looked at all the clothes on display. The clothes looked beyond complicated and nowhere near enough breathing room. The walls are jade green and the floor is opal with red carpets. The building's so tall it makes my head spin looking up.

"Ugh can you believe that girl?" I heard a girl speak with my sensitive hearing "I like, can't believe she would walk in here with that ugly getup. Vests were so last year." I looked in the direction of the noise and saw an aardvark and a penguin upstairs.

"Do you see her hair? Ugliest rats' nest I've ever seen. And those ears, who invited Dumbo?" The penguin said.

"Are those combat boots? Those have never been in style, I wouldn't be caught dead with those on."

"Well you can't expect much, she is the help. That doesn't give her master an excuse though. What on Mobius is she wearing?"

Those two are really starting to get on my nerves. I clenched my teeth and squeezed the wheelchairs handles as hard as I could.

"Just ignore them sweetie. One thing we have over them is our brains and a cool head." Rouge clapped her hands twice. A moment later a male, yellow canary with a red suit walked up to us with open arms.

"Madame Rouge! How nice it is to see you again. Are you here for the latest fashion?" The canary has a bit of an accent, like the one Bunnie's husband Antoine has.

"No thanks Jacque, I lost my appetite for fashion."

"Lost your appetite for fashion? Sacre bleu, how is this possible!?"

Rouge twitched her head towards the two girls on the second floor. Jacque's head feathers started to stand up on his head and he grew upset when he saw the girls. He nudged me with his elbow with a face that said "Watch this" and took an escalator towards them. His voice echoed through the building.

"Bonjour les filles. I was wondering if perhaps you would like to try out the latest fashion. Something not available to the general public yet?"

"Like, oh my gosh it's Jacque!"

"Jacque, if it's from you then you know I'm up for it!"

Jacque looked down at us while the girls hopped with glee and gave us a wink.

After a while, came back downstairs followed by what seems to be giant, multicolored balloons.

The girls were dressed up in large, green, tent like jackets that makes them look like they should lay off the Hors d'oeuvres. Their pink, yoga pants were so tight they put spandex to shame. Their glittered gloves and pointy shoes do not go well with their lampshade hats.

"Um Jacque, are you sure these are the latest fashion?"

"Trust me darlings, this is a once in a life time opportunity."

"How come I've never seen anyone else wear these?"

"Because they're too new darling. Trust me, once the people see you in those they won't be able to look away. You'll be the talk of the town."

The girls didn't even give it a second thought when they walked out the door with dreams of becoming the next top model. Once they left the doors, Rouge and I bursted out laughing to the point of tears. Jacque walked up to us with a smile.

"Let me show you the back room." He led us to a door at the back of the building. Inside were thousands of boxes with all sorts of labels and addresses from all over the planet. "Welcome to my personal pre-ordered stockade."

"A lot more boxes than I remember. What's been going on Jacque?" Rouge asked.

"Something most beneficial. Are you two aware of the fighting tournament going on in town?"

Rouge and I just looked at each other with smug faces. "We are aware of it, yes."

"Well, the tournament has caused a bit of a craze in town."

"What kind of craze?" I asked.

He opened up a box and pulled out not a designer dress, not a shiny pair of shoes, but a pair of very familiar gym shorts with a lion's head on it.

"Isn't it beautiful?" Jacque asked us.

Rouge and I didn't answer.

"You're confused, I can understand that. You see, with the introduction of fighting, people want to copy all the fancy moves they see on TV. When they realize they are not in shape to perform those moves, they want to work out so that they can, so they want clothes to wear while they work out."

"So people want to dress up as their favorite fighter while they work out?" Rouge asked.

I looked into another box with the letters JS on the side. Sure enough, I found a green shirt, a pair of khakis, and some leather gloves. And they're in women's size small.

"It's the media, people will always follow it."

"We were wondering if you had anything...cute. Do you still have some of that lying around?" Rouge asked.

Jacque gasped "You insult me Madame. I always have the latest styles from all the styles for any situation!"

Jacque pulled out and pressed a remote and a large door opened up revealing a closet that would put any mall to shame.

"Make your wish, I can give you any style you want."

"I think I'll hold off on my wish, let her go first." Rouge pushed me towards Jacque.

"And what is it that you wish my little hedgehog?"

"I...uh...I don't know." I don't know how to get out of this situation. I don't have the heart to tell them I'm not interested in this kind of thing.

Jacque dragged me inside the closet and he and Rouge made me wear outfit after outfit after outfit. From swimwear to dresses to even drag. I felt like a doll.

This went on for about an hour, they would make me wear an outfit and comment on it, then make me wear the next one. I try to get the courage to stop but Rouge seems to be having lots of fun, do I really have the heart to take that away from her?

"Hmm I don't like it at all." Rouge commented on my exotic fruit hat. I agree with her completely.

"Well the only thing we haven't tried is the kitchen sink." Jacque said.

"Is that an option?" Rouge asked.

"We could try" Jacque pulled out a wrench and started to walk off, that's when I realized enough is enough.

"ENOUGH!" I shouted, a lot of clothes were sent towards the back wall. Rouge and Jacque stood there surprised from the sudden wall of sound that hit them.

"This isn't me! I'm not some doll you can dress up anyway you want! I don't wear designer dresses! My name is Sonar and I like wearing track shorts and combat boots so deal with it!" I shouted at them with everything I bottled up from this entire trip. I stopped to catch my breath and started to cry. I tried to keep a cool head but this was going against everything I am.

"I'm sorry Rouge, I didn't mean to..."

"Well geez you could've said something earlier." said Rouge.

I looked at her and saw her smiling at me along with Jacque.

"You only had to tell us to stop, we only kept going because we thought you were enjoying it." Jacque admitted.

My face grew hot with embarrassment, I should've known that was an option.

"Tell you what, let's make it up to you. Where do you want to go?"

I looked at them and they looked back with a smile. "I have an idea."

* * *

It's beautiful, the sunset I mean. I looked out towards the sky through the fields of grass while the tree I'm lying next to gave a nice bit of shade. Rouge sat down next to me with a cool glass of lemonade and Jacque laid down next to her. It was peaceful.

"I gotta say, this is the best idea you've had so far." Rouge flattered.

"Looking at that beautiful sun reminds me who the true fashion artist is, Mother Nature herself."

We laid there for about another hour quietly.

"Tell me something Sonar, did you choose this because you wanted to try it, or because it's where you belong?" Jacque asked.

"A little bit of column A and lots of column B. I'm just glad there was a park outside Casinopolis."

"I wonder how our little brawler's doing right now." Rouge thought out loud.

I thought back to Itchy. He may be from Robotropolis but I'm sure even he could enjoy this. I just hope he can still walk after all this. Oh, that reminds me.

"Jacque, I want to make my wish now."

"So sudden? What is it that you wish?"

"Nothing big, but it's kind of important to me."

* * *

"We're home!" I announced as I walked into the condo.

"Oh good you're back. Did you bring anything to eat?" Ernie asked.

I handed him a bag of sub sandwiches, enough for both of them. Ernie munched down on his sandwich with his left arm. Isn't he right handed?

"Ernie, what happened to your arm?" I looked down to his arm which was swelling and red.

"Oh yeah that, I was poisoned."

"What!"

"Don't worry about it. It's not lethal, but it stings a lot."

"Wait go back, how did you get poisoned?"

"Platypus boy forgot to mention that male Platypus have a venomous claw behind their legs. He said it'll wear off in a few hours though."

He walked out of the condo with a face full of sandwich. I turned to Itchy who is lying down on the mat on surrounded by a puddle of sweat. He seems completely spent, he just laid there panting as fast as he could. I looked to his right and saw that he was trying to grab a water bottle that was just out of his reach. I grabbed the bottle and poured it down his open mouth and he sat up with revitalization.

"Thanks Sonar, did you bring food?" I handed him his sub and he chomped it down.

"Poisonous claw?" I asked.

"Actually its venom but...yes."

"Can I see it?"

He pulled up his torn pants and showed me large, dark purple claws connected to a large sack of some kind connected to the back of his leg.

"It's not that strong though, it can't kill anything big. Where's Rouge?"

I pointed to the door where Rouge sat at her wheelchair, asleep.

"She fell asleep on the way back. We had a lot of fun today."

"I wish I could've been there."

I handed him a small box and watched him open it. I watched his reaction when he pulled out a clean gray jacket and a nice pair of jeans along with a pair of black sneakers.

He looked at me with a smile that said "Thank you".

"One more thing!" I reached into my pocket and pulled out a pair of worn out, black gloves. "Thanks for letting me borrow them."

He took them in his hands and slipped them on with a face of nostalgia. I was surprised when he opened his arms to me to receive my hug.

"Just try to survive okay?" I asked.

"Hey, when all this is over, it'll be worth it."


	13. Chapter 13: Round 1 The fence

How About an Adventure? Ch. 13: Round 1. The fence

"That's enough training for today." Ernie announced.

Thank goodness. I'm so exhausted, I felt like I just ran around the world including the oceans.

It's the day before the next battle and we've been training none-stop since day one.

"Now let's see that stance one more time."

I set myself in my battle stance, a stance with balance and sturdiness in mind.

"Miss Sonar, would you be so kind?"

"My pleasure." Sonar revved up like a wheel and stood there waiting for her to strike.

In a flash of brown, she hit me head on in the gut. I focused on keeping my footing and pushed her back as best I could. Finally she stopped, leaving me standing tall with my gi torn to shreds.

"Good, your training is paying off."

"Thank you sensei."

"Now you'll be able to last at most ten minutes in the ring." I lost my footing at that remark. That was cruel.

Our training was by far the most tiring thing I have ever done. We've went over keeping out stance, the basic throws and blocks, how to get out of a grapple, not to mention all the weight lifting we did. My arms feel like they're about to pop.

"If it makes you feel better, not even badnicks can survive that. I'm really proud of you Itchy." Sonar said with a smile.

"Badnicks are pushovers, they don't count for anything. The fact that you can still stand after a week of training, that's impressive." Rouge complimented, which is a first.

"How was it when you trained under Ernie?" Sonar asked Rouge.

"Let's just say I felt like my body was put through a taffy machine."

I turned to see Rouge at the door standing up on crutches. Behind her is Tyler also on crutches.

"I got some info on your opponent for the next round" Tyler announced as he pinned a poster on the wall. A poster of a brown anteater.

"This fella's name is Monty the Anteater. He used to be a professional wrestler but had to retire when no one would renew his contract. Nowadays he fights underground for a living."

I took a good look at the poster of Monty. He's kinda on the short side (Though I can't really tell because it's a poster) with stubby legs. The real eye catcher is his arms and head. His arms are pretty long and tipped with large claws, his face just looks weird what with the whole anteater thing. He has tiny eyes with big bushy eyebrows and stood with a slouch. He's wearing a gray tank top and cargo shorts with a shoulder strap holding up a spiked shoulder plate on his left side. Other than that shoulder plate and claws, he doesn't seem all that threatening.

"Your biggest problem might be those arms of his" Ernie pointed out "If that guys a wrestler, then he must quick with those things."

"That explains the shoulder pads." We all looked at Sonar, how did that explain the shoulder pad? "Oh sorry, I was thinking out loud again. I saw some people wearing his outfit around town lately."

Sonar mentioned to us that people are starting to dress up as their favorite fighter. I haven't seen anyone dressed like me though.

"What I wanna know is, how does he talk?" I asked.

"See for yourself." Tyler turned on the TV to the news channel where a reporter was talking about the next round. Next to him was Monty himself.

"We're here with Monty the Anteater, a contestant of the fighting tournament, for his input of the next round. Mr. Anteater, besides yourself, who do you think will be winning this round and who will lose?"

We all huddled against the TV waiting for him to talk. He took a deep breath and spoke into the mike.

"Pffft pfffffffft pfft pft pfffffffffffffffft pft pft pfffft pffffffffffft pft pfffffffffffffffffffffffffft." He released raspberries after raspberries into the mike, covering it with his saliva as his tongue wiggled and retreated back and forth into his snout.

"Well that's rude." Tyler commented.

"Um, I think that's how he talks." Sonar explained.

"Yes...well...thank you for your input Mr. Anteater. I'm sure our viewers will take it to heart. Back to you Greg."

"Don't let the way he talks fool you. If he made it this far then he must be a great fighter." Ernie warned.

"It's still funny though." Sonar giggled.

"It's always the funny ones you have to watch out for. It's best to go to bed now, you have a tough day tomorrow." Rouge ordered.

Several hours later, Sonar and I were in bed. She's asleep on the sofa bed as usual while I slept on the inflatable mattress on the floor in front of her. I couldn't sleep at all, tomorrow is going to be a very important day, one that could mean life or death for several people, and it's only one fight out of at least four just like it. I looked out the large window and saw the lit up city. It kinda reminds me of...but that's the past, I need to focus on the now.

"Itchy?" Sonar stirred "are you awake?"

"Yeah, something wrong?"

"I can't sleep."

"Join the club. What's bothering you?"

"I can't stop thinking about home, and my friends, they must be worried sick about me. I especially can't stop thinking about him."

"You mean that blue hedgehog?"

"Yeah. He's probably back by now, he must be worried about me."

"Why don't you give them a call? Don't you have a communicator?"

"Rouge said that's a bad idea. She said that NEXGEN might be listening to the comms and watching our movement."

"Yeah I guess that makes sense. How else could they have found Sanctuary?"

"I hope they're not all that worried. I don't want to be a burden to them."

"Yeah, it must be nice to have friends that care about you."

"Sonar sat up and looked at me "Don't you have any friends back at home waiting for you?"

"I told you, I don't have any friends."

Sonar stayed quiet for a while. Maybe she went back to sleep?"

"What about Caesar? He says you're his best friend." She asked.

"I can't say the same."

"And what about Rouge, Tyler, and Ernie? What about Sally and Bunnie? What about Vector, Espio, Charmy, Amy, and Cream? What about your brother?" She leaned over the couch with her head directly above mine. "What about me?"

She's smiling at me. She really does mean it, and she wants an answer.

I sighed "Okay I guess you all count."

"You're not alone in this Itchy. We're all here to help you. You just gotta learn to ask." She said with a yawn, then fell asleep.

She's right. This entire time, I've been making friends left and right but I was too focused to see it. The idea of it made me feel...good. This warm feeling from this realization calmed my head, and I fell asleep.

* * *

I was startled awake by the sound of pots banging against pans.

"Wakey wakey, time to fight!" Sonar stood over me with the pots in her hands with a smile.

It only took me a minute to get dressed for the fight, but before that it took an hour for Rouge to accessorize me.

"And...done." Rouge looked over my green shirt and smiled at the clubs logo on the back. She also made me wear a belt with her heart symbol as a buckle. "Now make sure that's on camera at all times and bring in the customers."

I did not like the idea of wearing them in public, but it's the only shirt I have besides my gray jacket so I have no choice.

"Now remember "James" You're fighting for the kids. Keep your head down and hit him where it hurts." Ernie advised.

"Try not to touch that snout of his. It's disgusting." Tyler warned with a hug. I wish he would stop doing that.

"Just try not to get hurt. We just paid off the hospital bill." Rouge advised.

I walked over to Sonar who was smiling.

"Aren't you going to say anything?"

She shook her head "I shouldn't have to give you advice because I know you're going to win."

I laughed when she said that. She should be honored, I rarely do that anymore.

Before I knew it, I was in a limo, by myself, already reaching my destination. I stared out the window like usual with my only regret being that I didn't get to finish my breakfast before I had to leave.

"Master Slugcommando, we've arrived.

"I can see that, thank you." I looked out towards the fighting arena.

It's a large, gray building that looks like it's ready to be demolished. What's with this tournament and old buildings ready to be torn down anyway?

I climbed out of the limo and looked at the crowd of people surrounding the building. The driver grabbed my attention before he left.

"When you've finished your roughhousing, I will come to pick you up posthaste."

"That's kinda what I was hoping for."

"Yes I figured you would, I just needed a reason to have you keep your back turned to the cameras as was Madame's wish."

I covered by backside with my arms and turned to the crowd where a few giggles can be heard and cameras going off. I covered my face and ran past them all but was stopped by one final reporter who really wanted answers. I can tell because she tackled me to the ground.

"Sorry about that but I have a few questions for you that must be answered for the populace." The reporter dusted off her outfit as I got back off my feet while trying to hide my backside.

She's a long eared desert fox with yellow fur and white fur underneath her chin that continues down and has yellow eyes. She's wearing a black, buttoned up vest with a white, long sleeve shirt underneath and black pants with black high-heels.

Next to her is a brown monkey carrying a camera while wearing a blue hat, shirt, pants, and shoes. He must really like blue. A four-leaf clover with the number seven on it was on the side of the camera and his hat.

"Reporter Anita Vixen from channel seven news here with James Slugcommando, a fighter currently on his way to the ring in this round of the tournament which has yet to be named. Tell me James, are the rumors true that you have amnesia and believe that this fighting tournament will help you discover your past?"

"No, I don't have amnesia. I joined to earn some cash."

"Is that so? What kind of name is Slugcommando anyway?"

"It was a crazy party."

"I see. Is it true that you're actually a stripper who worked for Club Rouge but was forced to fight to sponsor the club?"

Not far from the truth lady.

"No, I never worked at Club Rouge, I just needed a sponsor."

"Have you ever had any previous experience fighting and where?"

She sure is asking a lot of questions.

"No, this is my first time."

"Is it true that you are having an aff..."

"Listen lady" I said as I grabbed her microphone "I'm kinda busy here, with the tournament, you know?"

"Alright fine, dodge my questions. You'll have to answer them someday. Nice belt buckle by the way."

I grabbed my belt buckle and ripped it off, leaving the belt to drop off.

I handed her the buckle "Have a souvenir." I said and walked into the building.

Inside was a sign that simply pointed up. I followed the sign and took the stairs where I kept finding more signs telling me to go up. I soon reached the top of the building which was closed in by a fence. Above are three helicopters with search lights shining towards the roof. As I walked towards the center of the roof, one of the helicopters stopped just above me and a cable fell out and two Mobians repelled down. It's the Pelican from last week and a camera man.

"Welcome ladies and gentlemen to the first round of Casinopolis's first ever fighting tournament!" He shouted into the microphone he has in his hand.

I looked around and noticed that on the center of each side of the fence, there sits a camera hanging from a pole. I looked up and noticed that the helicopters also have cameras mounted on them.

"In this corner: Weighing in at only eighty five pounds. The hedgehog with a lot of tricks up his sleeve. James Slugcommando! James, how do you feel?"

"Hungry."

"Hungry for blood?"

'Nope, just hungry. I had to skip breakfast."

"Well that's a shame. So how do you feel about the fight?"

"I'm feeling a little nervous right now."

"Understandable. Is there anything you want to say before the fight begins?"

"Always start the day right with a healthy breakfast."

"An excellent life lesson for the kids. Now in the other corner: Weighing in at a whopping one hundred and seventy five pounds. He's got years under his belt. His actions speak louder than his words. Monty the Anteater!"

Monty walked out of the door onto the roof and was surprised by the search lights from the helicopters. I was wrong about Monty's height from the poster, he's much shorter than I thought he'd be. He's at least half my height and I can smell him from here. Did he run all the way over here?

"Mr. Monty, anything you want to say before the fight?"

"Pffft pft pffffffffffft pft pft pffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffft." The announcers face was pretty much drenched with spit after the barrage of raspberries blew out the microphone.

"Yes...well...thank you Monty. We will cherish your words forever."

The announcer pulled out a small towel and wiped the spit off his face. He then pulled out a small stick.

"Now of course, a simple fight wouldn't be all that interesting, so we added a slight gimmick to this round."

He tossed the stick towards the fence. The stick was surrounded by a flash of electricity and fell to the floor completely burnt.

"So we added an electrical fence to make things "shocking" for you."

"Pffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffft!" I agree, that was lame.

"Are you crazy?!" I shouted.

"Wasn't my idea kid, just go with it." The announcer commented, covering the microphone with his wing so it won't be heard. "Now, the contestants are here, the fence is charged, and paramedics are on standby. Ladies and gentlemen, LETS GET READY TO RUMBLE!"

A loud bang rang out and a large grappling hook shot out from a helicopter, grabbed the announcer and reeled him in like a fish. I was so amazed at the sight of a pelican in a suit being dragged into a helicopter by a grappling hook, that I didn't notice the large claw rushing towards my face. I rolled backwards twice before I can correct myself and only a few inches from the fence.

"Hey! Warn a guy next time!"

"Pffffffft pfffffffffft pft."

He took another swing at me and man do those noodle arms have reach. It's like he's swinging around a hammer. I dodged swing after swing while looking for an opening but his swings are too quick so that his arms are always close to his chest. I looked down and noticed his stubby legs and thought to myself 'That could work". During another swing I ducked down and swiped his legs from under him and watched him fall like a tree. Sparing no time, I grabbed his legs and flipped him over my shoulder like a sack of potatoes and slammed him on the floor over and over again. Eventually he figured out the situation and jabbed his claws into the floor making it look like I was trying to uproot a big, fuzzy tree. I pulled as hard as I could trying to continue the beating, big mistake. He tugged with his arms and flung me over the fence. I would've fallen to my death if I hadn't grabbed the pole the camera was on. I may have knocked over the fence and the pole along with it, leaving me dangling over the edge and over a huge drop but at least I'm alive right?

"Pffft pft pfft pffft." I looked up and saw Monty standing on the pole with his claw held out to me.

I looked up to Monty, then back down towards death. Either way it's going to hurt, but with a choice of falling to my death or getting body slammed by an anteater. Is it really an option? I grabbed Monty's hand and expected the worse but it never came. He instead lifted me from the pole and carefully walked back towards the middle of the ring.

"Um, thanks I guess." I spoke too soon, Monty grabbed me with his other hand and slammed me towards the ground head first. Before I could recover, he grabbed my arm and started to twist to the point that I let loose a silent scream. He lifted me up and put me in a headlock and cut off my air. I started to black out but that wasn't going to stop me. I thrusted my head back and head butted Monty in the snout and he loosened his grip which I used to reverse the grapple and get behind him. I bent backwards and dropped him on his head.

"Did you like that?"

"Pfffft pfffffffft pff."

I grabbed that snout of his shut and pulled as hard as I could, he obviously didn't like it. I tied it shut and watched as he tried to untie it with his claws, it's cruel I know, but it was getting annoying. I grabbed him by his shirt's straps and started to swing him around faster and faster until we looked like a huge fuzzy tornado. I kept spinning and poor Monty seemed like he was getting sick and thankfully his mouth was tied shut or else we'd be a tornado of brown and whatever Monty ate for breakfast.

After a lot of spinning, Monty's shirt gave out and he was sent flying leaving me standing there with his shirt in my hand. Monty ended up flying towards the fence and lit up like a light show. He twitched uncontrollably as hundreds if not thousands of volts of electricity surged through his body. The fence shorted out and Monty fell down to the floor completely burnt. I walked over to Monty and checked to see if he's still alive. He's still breathing but wouldn't wake up.

"I guess that means I win." I muttered to myself.

"Pffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffff ffffffffffffffft."

I looked down to Monty. I thought he was knocked out, I even tied his mouth shut...Oh! Oh gosh he soiled himself! Oh man that stinks!

"Man you really did a number on him didn't you?" I turned to see the announcer looking over Monty along with paramedics. The medics looked over Monty and also noticed the mess he made, but looked over it and untied his snout.

"What's that? Well yeah I guess it is over. Okay I'll do it." The announcer was talking into his ear piece.

He lifted my arm and looked up towards the helicopters announcing my victory.

"And the winner is James Slugcommando!" He reached into his pocket and pulled out a gift card "And here's your consolation prize, a one hundred dollar gift card to Dream Caster, the store where dreams come true. Perhaps you could give it to a lady friend." He nudged me in the shoulder.

* * *

I climbed down the building and was welcomed by a barrage of flashes from multiple cameras. News reporters, journalists, fans, they all crowded around me trying to get answers.

Believe it or not, I'm actually kind of used to this kind of thing. Back when I was little I had this problem every time I stepped out of my Dad's limo and just like before, I always found a way to get past them. I walked back into the building and left through the back door, pretty simple I know. I walked away for some time until the limo arrived.

"Congratulations on your beat down sir." The driver said.

"How'd you know I left through the back?"

"Sir, I work for Madame Rouge for a living. It's my job to expect the unexpected." I guess that makes sense.

I climbed into the limo and grabbed a soda from the bar.

"Hey driver, lets head straight home alright?"

"Actually we'll be going for a long drive around town sir."

"Why's that?"

He showed me a large wad of cash through the window "I was bribed sir."

"By who?"

"By me."

Who else but that reporter with a lot of questions and her butt monkey climbed in through the door.

"You again? Don't you have any other fighters to bother?" I yelled.

"They're all taken, but no one has shown interest in you. No one even betted on you for this fight."

"I guess I just made a lot of people upset then."

"Indeed. Another reason I decided to choose you was because no one has any idea who you are, so what's your story anyway?"

"Look fox girl."

"It's Anita."

"Look Anais, there's a fine line between getting a review and stalking. On top of all that, this is pretty much kidnapping."

"Not really. It's more like I just hired a limo driver to drive us around town. Now all I want is a few questions."

I looked at the monkey "Are really just going to let her do this?"

He just looked at me and shrugged and pulled a wad of cash out of his pocket. Typical.

"Now tell me, who are you really?"

"James."

"Not your name, where did you come from? What's your backstory?"

"I came from Robotropolis. I used to live a quiet life but I was kinda dragged into all this."

"What do you mean you got dragged into all this?"

"Well let's just say someone important to me was taken."

"Really?"

"Yeah it's a really long story."

Anna didn't say anything. She just pulled out another wad of cash from her pocket and gave it to the driver.

"Let's make it two trips around town." She said, and the driver nodded "Looks like we got plenty of time now, and don't lie to me because I'll know when you're lying. Now." She pulled out a note pad and a pencil "Who are you really?"

* * *

We spent four hours driving around town. Question after question, answer after answer, and nosy little Annabelle just wouldn't stop. That notepad of hers was halfway full when we were done. Naturally I didn't tell her anything I don't want to have on the news not even my real name, but she pretty much has the point of the story.

"Wow. You went through a lot haven't you?"

Even the monkey who I discovered is named Bill, had a face of awe when I finished my story.

"I can't believe someone would kidnap your brother from you. How do you know he's here in Casinopolis?"

"Let's just say there's more to this tournament than just fighting."

"What do you mean?"

I looked out the window, we're in Night Babylon.

"I'd tell you, but it looks like we're out of time sorry." I climbed out of the limo and walked away.

"Wait you can't just leave with a cliff hanger like that!"

"Maybe another time Anadia."

"It's Anita!"

I ignored her and entered the building only to be stopped by a pair of large paws.

"Buddy! You are okay!"

"Yes Caesar I'm okay. I also won."

"I won too! I had lots of fun with mister gerbil, but I think I broke him."

"I see. Shouldn't you be working Caesar?"

Caesar let me go and started flexing his muscles, attracting a lot of women. I walked past him and looked at Ernie who just crossed his arms and nodded. I saluted to him and headed upstairs where I was again stopped with a hug.

"Itchy I knew you could do it!"

"Thanks Sonar, that means a lot to me."

I sat down on the couch and Sonar brought over a box of pizza.

"I thought you'd be hungry when you got back."

"Thanks" I took a bite and spat it back out "its cold!"

"It'd be warm if you got here earlier." Rouge came out of the bathroom and started scolding me for being home late.

"Where the heck were you? You were gone for four hours!"

"I was kidnapped." I looked out the window. Anne is still down there waiting in front of the building.

"Who's your lady friend?" Rouge asked.

"That's Ann, the nosiest fox I've ever met."


	14. Chapter 14: It's not a date!

How About an Adventure? Ch.14 It's not a date!

It's been three days since Itchy's first round. I just woke up on looking like a tornado just dropped me on the couch leaving a mess. I got out of bed, slipped on my vest and boots, and took a big whiff of an amazing smell filling up the condo. I went into the kitchen and found Itchy wearing an apron, a very funny sight. He acknowledged me and went back to cooking.  
"What're you cooking?" I asked.  
"Corned Beef Hash, I think."  
I looked at the bowl next to him. It's filled with a lot of meshed up food with an egg on top. It looks like a bunch of leftovers put together to look like food.  
"Sorry it's all I could do. Back at my place there was rarely anything to eat so I had to use leftovers all the time."  
He finished up another bowl and took them to the table along with apple juice and sporks. I looked at the bowl placed in front of me with doubt of its flavor. I looked up at Itchy who is already eating at a rapid pace. I took up the spork and grabbed a small amount, sniffed it, then took a bite.  
My eyes shot open at the amazing flavor of beef and egg all at once. I rubbed my cheeks in delight of the beautiful delicacy.  
"I take it you liked it." Itchy noted.  
"It's amazing! How did you learn to cook this?"  
"When you're living alone with the urge to create, you find relief in any way possible. Cooking is basically chemistry but with food."  
I downed the entire bowl as quick as I could, filling my cheeks with this golden food.  
"Man that was good! What can't you make?"  
"Well I was never really good at biology."  
I stopped eating when he said that. What is he implying and do I want to know?  
"kidding! Just Kidding! Actually I was could never make ice cream. I love ice cream."  
My stomach settled only slightly. I just noticed something.  
"Where's Rouge? Doesn't she live here?"  
"I was wondering the same thing earlier, but then I saw that note on the door." Itchy pointed at a note on the fridge with my name on it along with another note telling Itchy not to open it "or suffer the consequences". I opened the note and read it.

Dear Sonar.  
Sorry I couldn't say bye personally but I had to run out to do some errands and I won't be back until late. It's too bad really, I was hoping to have another girls night out with you but that'll have to wait till tomorrow I guess. Ernie and Tyler are in charge so practice is canceled and you and fuzzball will have to take care of yourself. I left a present for you in your vest, use it as you wish but don't give it to Fuzzy. I never could trust a man with money.  
Your friend  
Rouge.  
P.S. Did anyone tell you that you snore a lot? I'm surprised Fuzzball can even sleep.

I crumpled up the note and tossed it in the trash with all my might.  
"What is it?" Itchy asked.  
"We have the whole day to ourselves I guess."  
I reached into my pockets and found a small credit card with Rouge's symbol on it followed by a note.

This card has about five thousand credits in it. Don't spend it all on one place and don't give it to Fuzzy. Have fun.

I looked at the card then at Itchy. Itchy has been working hard lately and all I've been doing is hanging around and having fun, which is weird because it's usually the other way around with my other friends. If anyone needs a break it's him.  
"you wanna go do something fun?" I asked.  
"Like what?" He replied.  
"I don't know, what do want to do today?"  
"I guess I could work on the plasma gun to get rid of that charge time. Maybe I could watch some TV or go to sleep." I covered his mouth with my hand and stopped the nonsense.  
"How about I make the plans?" I asked. He nodded.

* * *

After saying goodbye to Ernie, Tyler, and Caesar (who gave us a big hug), We headed off towards the back where Itchy left his truck.  
"Hang on." I stopped Itchy  
"What? Is something wrong?"  
"No it's just that, what if NEXGEN sees us? They're probably looking for the truck too."  
"Well it's all I have. Rouge took the limo."  
I gave it a thought. Then it hit me. I opened up the trailer to reveal in the middle of everything, a motorcycle, the one we got back at Robotropolis.  
"You wanna go around town on that thing?" Itchy asked.  
"I think you'll like it. Having the wind in your face, watching the world pass by you. It's the best part about speed."  
"I tried speed before remember? I didn't exactly like it."  
"That's probably because you lost a lot of blood remember?"  
Itchy looked around the trailer and found two helmets for us to wear. Safety first kids. I got on the back of the bike and waited for Itchy to hop on.  
"Wait I thought you were driving." Itchy said.  
"Oh no, I've never driven a motorcycle before. Besides I think it'd be nicer if you drive."  
"I've never driven a motorcycle either. I was planning on scrapping it for parts."  
"There's always a first time for everything right?"  
It was rough at first, but Itchy soon got the hang of the bike and we headed down the street. The motorcycle is a lot nicer than any old limo. You can feel the wind in your quills and hear it whisper in your ears. I looked around when we stopped at a red light and saw a poster of a movie I've been meaning to watch for a while.  
"Why don't we watch a movie?" I asked.  
Itchy looked at the poster and frowned.  
"I don't know..."  
"Oh come on it can't be that bad"  
We drove up to the nearest movie theatre playing the movie and walked up to the ticket booth where a weasel waited in his uniform.  
"Hello you two. Would you like to purchase a ticket?"  
"Yes" I said "Two for "Artificial Love" please."  
"Would you like the Love Bird package? Couples get a discount when purchasing snacks."  
My ears twitched when he offered. I swung my hands back and forth discouraging the thought of us as a couple, Itchy did the same.  
"Well that's a shame. I thought you two were on a date." The weasel said.  
"This isn't a date!" I shouted "we're just two friends going to watch a movie!"  
"If you say so. Here's your ticket." The weasel handed us two tickets and I payed with the card. We bought some popcorn and some smoothies to go along with the movie and entered the theatre. The seats were filled with a lot of couples. From young teens on a date, to old seniors celebrating their time together. Itchy and I sat down near the middle of all the seats just in time for the movie to begin.  
The movie is about a crow who died in a tragic accident and was revived by his friend who was a mad scientist. He downloaded his brain into a ugly creature he had built but required a brain. the crow in his new body was shunned by everyone except for one cat who saw him for what he truly is. The movie ended with the cat sacrificing herself to save her brother from the crow. The crow, with his love and only thing keeping him sane gone, he went on a rampage and was soon felled by the military, the ghost of his love being the last thing he saw and he died happy.  
The movie was so sad that it made me cry a river of sorrow. The feeling the movie delivered, however, was killed when I saw Itchy asleep, probably for some time. I got mad at first but then I realized he didn't seem all that interested in the movie anyway. If I think about, I just dragged him to something he wanted no part of, something I scolded Rouge for just last week. I woke him up and helped him out of the theatre.  
"Well that was a good movie." He muttered.  
"Don't lie Itchy. I know you fell asleep." I scolded.  
His ears drooped from the truth. "Sorry."  
"Don't be. I should've realized this wouldn't be something you'd be interested in. I want to make it up to you. Let's do something you want to do."  
Itchy scratched his chin like he always does when he starts to think.  
"Can't really think of anything. Sorry."  
"Come on Itchy! Isn't there something you want to do?"  
"Well...there is one thing, but I doubt you'd be interested."  
"Anything is okay with me. It's only fair."

* * *

Even with the protection on my ears they still rang with every explosion set off in the room. The gun range is no place for a hedgehog with sensitive ears.  
"Well...this is it. I've been meaning to come back to one of these in a long time." Itchy explained.  
He looked at me and frowned at the pain in my face.  
"Yeah that's why I didn't want to come here."  
"No! no it's fine I can handle it." I tried my best to smile.  
"Don't lie Sonar, this place must be hell to you right now."  
"No, it's only fair that we get to do something you want to do." I sucked up the pain and stood like nothing was wrong while Itchy and I walked up to a booth.  
The inside of the booth was filled with a bunch of guns, including some I've never seen before. This included old Overlander weapons like ones that haven't seen use for a very long time. The booth is being run by a deer currently cleaning the barrel of a really big gun.  
"What can I do for ya?" The deer asked as we approached.  
"We'd like to rent a gun please." Itchy replied.  
The deer looked at me with a questionable look. I smiled back without trying to be awkward.  
"Bit of an odd place for a date don't ya think?"  
"It's not a date." Itchy replied.  
"Whatever you kids call it is fine by me so long as your money is good. Take your pick." The deer moved aside to give us a better view at the guns he has.  
I'm not very familiar with guns except for the the whole "It's bad if one is pointed at you" thing. I've never really used one before and if it wasn't for Itchy, I probably would never have.  
Itchy picked out two different guns. A long one he calls a rifle, and smaller, shiny cowboy gun with a long barrel.  
"And what about you little lady?" The deer asked.  
"Don't call me little lady." I barked back.  
"You don't have to get one if you don't want to." Itchy noted.  
"No, I came all the way over here so I might as well try it." I don't want Itchy to feel like he's dragging me around.  
I looked for the smallest gun I could see and went with that.  
The first half hour was just me watching Itchy firing the rifle into a target over and over again. Seeing him with a gun kinda makes him look more...empowered is the best word I could figure. He had a stern look on his face and remained focused on the target. He didn't noticed I haven't used my gun until after he ran out of bullets.  
"Is something wrong?" Itchy asked.  
"Nothings wrong. I'm just watching."  
Itchy looked at my gun "Aren't you going to use your pistol?" He asked.  
"Is that what it's called?"  
"Have you ever fired a gun before?"  
"Well...no not really."  
Itchy put his gun down and walked over to me. "It's not that hard, just aim and shoot. It's so easy a kid could do it, I'd know."Itchy grabbed my gun and held it out to me. "Let me show you."  
He put the gun in my both my hands and aimed it for me. I looked at the pistol to see it pointed directly at the target.  
"Ready?" He asked.  
A loud pop rang out from the gun as it was pushed back by the recoil of the bullet. The monitor on our left showed us where the bullet hit the target. It hit just left of the center.  
"Not bad. It's almost dead center." Itchy commented with a smile.  
I won't lie, I kinda liked it. While I may never use a gun outside this shooting range, I did have fun for a while as I continued shooting at the target until I ran out of bullets. By that time the range was closing for a private class.  
"We better get going. I did have fun though." I commented.  
"Alright, just one last thing."  
Itchy lifted the other gun he rented. It's about the same shape as a pistol, but is obviously much bigger. Itchy aimed down the barrel and fired. The shot rang out awfully loudly and the recoil seemed much more powerful. I didn't even have to look at the monitor to see that a large chunk of the target was missing. Itchy seems satisfied.  
"I've been meaning to ask you. Why did you wanted to come here?" I asked.  
"When I was little my dad felt awful that he would always be working while my mother and I stayed home and waited for him. He would take at least one day off a month to take me out around town. The one thing we would always do is visit the local shooting range and shoot a few rounds. My dad would give me a rifle" He pointed at his rifle "And my dad would have his favorite gun, a magnum." He pointed at the magnum "He told me when I turned eighteen he would let me fire it. There aren't any shooting ranges in Robotropolis."  
I was saddened by that story. I know what it's like to remember the good times I had with my parents before Eggman took them.  
"I am glad though. At least I wasn't alone for this." He said with a smile. I blushed but smiled back anyway.  
"Do you think I could give it a shot?" I asked.  
"Not unless you want to go home with a busted nose."  
"Is that a threat?" Where the heck did that come from!?  
"More like a warning. I don't think you're ready for it yet."  
"I think I can handle it Itchy."  
"I think you don't."  
I swiped the gun from his hands and aimed down the lane.  
"I really don't think you should do that. You're going to hurt yourself!" Itchy warned.  
I ignored him and fired.

* * *

I had to go to the hospital today. The doctor says my nose should be fine tomorrow but I think my self-esteem may never heal. I can't really say I didn't see it coming though. One thing that Sonic rubbed off on me is pride and that gets in the way sometimes. Itchy didn't tell anyone the truth when he carried me in here and told them that it was a freak wine bottle accident. I'm very grateful of that.  
I met up with Itchy in the waiting room and he took us to a nice little park away from the city. The sun was still shining when we started our walk. We walked silently around the park until we decided to sit down at a bench. I ran off to buy us some sundaes but got back before he even knew I was gone. I was about halfway done with my sundae when Itchy asked me a question.  
"Do you honestly believe I can win this tournament?"  
"Of course I do silly! Why do you ask?"  
"It's just that...well...I never really had anyone put so much faith in me before. It kinda makes me a bit worried."  
"Why would you be worried?"  
"Well, if I failed, then I would be letting you down.I let down a lot of people, but I don't want to let down someone who actually has faith in me."  
I scratched Itchy behind the ear. "Don't worry yourself. Life has it's let downs, that's natural. Nobody is perfect, but it wouldn't hurt to try your best."  
We sat there for another hour as the sun started to set on the horizon. I've been scratching behind Itchy's ear for so long he started to fall asleep.  
"I have a question for you." I announced.  
"Go ahead."  
"You have the lungs, feet, and claws of a platypus, yet you have tail feathers."  
"Yeah, so?"  
"What did your parents look like?"  
Itchy didn't answer for a while. I was worried that I may have hit a touchy subject. I wouldn't be surprised if he asked me to change the subject.  
"We were a very odd family back then. Some people even spread rumors of a scandal." He answered.  
"So what were they?"  
"My mom was a platypus and my dad was a peacock."  
I looked at him funny. The idea of Itchy, a hedgehog, as a little kid next to a female platypus and a peacock is kind of interesting.  
"So where does the hedgehog part come in?" I asked.  
"Simple, my grandfather from my mom's side was a hedgehog and his wife was a platypus."  
That does make sense. My grandfathers bat DNA didn't come up until two generations later, which was me. But even then I'm only an eighth of a bat and you can barely notice.  
"But wait a minute, if your father was a peacock, how come you don't have the right feathers?"  
"That one's also pretty simple. My grandmother from my dad's side was a sparrow."  
"Oh I see. And your grandfather was a peacock."  
"No my grandfather was an owl."  
I looked at him with another confused face.  
"I had a very mixed family." He explained.  
This is starting to hurt my head. He's half bird yet looks like a hedgehog and works like a platypus. I wouldn't be surprised if he was...  
"Were you...an egg?"  
"Well...yes I was."  
This is would be really weird if he didn't explained to me before hand. A hedgehog laid from a platypus and fathered by a bird. If it wasn't for the truth sitting right next to me, I wouldn't believe it.  
"In fact the only reason I'm classified as a hedgehog is because I look like one."  
"What do you mean?"  
"The only hedgehog thing I got going is the quills. You know that whole curling up thing we're suppose to be able to do?"  
"Yeah." No hedgehog in the right mind would not know our one method of natural defense.  
"Well I can't do that."  
"What!"  
"Yeah, I lack the correct muscles to do so."  
This is outrageous! A hedgehog who can't roll is like a dog who can't bark or a cat who can't meow. I got out of most of my battles alive because of that skill.  
"You are by far the weirdest Mobian I have ever met, you know that?"  
"Well sometimes different is good. It saved us from that bull right?"  
The nerve of him telling me how different is good! I already know that! Still though, he's really opening up now. Maybe all he needed is to get all this stuff off his chest?  
It's getting late and the sun is disappearing under the horizon. We threw away our ice cream bowls and started to walk back to the bike.  
"Can I ask one more question?" I asked.  
"I guess one more wouldn't hurt."  
"Your mom was a platypus, your dad was a peacock, and you're a hedgehog. What animal is your brother?"  
"Oh right. I guess I never really talk about him do I?"  
Talk about him? I don't even know his name! Let alone what he looks like!  
"So what is he? A platypus, a peacock, a hedgehog, a sparrow, or an owl?"  
"Would you be mad if I told you he's none of them?"  
My jaw dropped. All of these animals and he's not even one of them? What kind of family is this?  
"Well then, what is he!?"  
"You're going to love this. My brot*SNAP*"  
We turned quickly to see that we've been followed. The pursuers tail was sticking out of a bush as she tried to hide from our view.  
"Annabel!?" Itchy shouted.  
"It's Anita!" She shouted.  
"What are you doing here, you stalker!?"  
"What? I have my own life outside of work. I was just going for a jog and trying to get rid of these last few pesky pounds." She patted her belly for emphasis, which is weird because from I can tell she is very fit.  
Anita isn't wearing her reporter uniform like before. Instead she is wearing a white t-shirt with a sports bra underneath and a pair of jogging pants along with some running shoes and a heart shaped belt buckle.  
"But since I'm here" She stared at me "I wouldn't mind asking your friend here a few questions."  
Anita pulled out a note pad and a pen and pushed Itchy aside to get to me.  
"So tell me, what's your relationship with James?"  
Oh yeah, I forgot he's supposed to be James right now.  
"Nothing really, we're just friends is all." I answered.  
"What kind of friend scratches their friend's ear for half an hour?"  
"How long have you been watching us!?" I shouted at her.  
The whole "Scratching behind the ear" thing was on impulse thanks to a certain hedgehog. I always do it to him to get him to calm down and sit for once.  
"Here's another question, is it true that you're sleeping in the same room as him?"  
"How did you know that!?" Seriously, how does she know that!?  
"So it is true! I have my sources and they haven't failed me yet. So how deep does this relationship go? Are you dating or perhaps engaged? Have you done it yet and for how lo...?"  
Anita was silenced by a hand covering her mouth. Itchy pulled her aside and looked her in the eye.  
"Annie, there's a difference between doing your job and getting too personal. I could just as easily sue you and your station for harassment. Give me one reason why I shouldn't." Itchy lifted his hand off of her snout.  
"Because...I could get you information on that evil group you talked about."  
"You told her about that!?" I yelled.  
"I figured if I threw her a bone she'd leave me alone!" Itchy yelled back.  
He looked at the floor for a bit and scratched his chin. I knew he was thinking really hard because the harder he thinks, the louder he scratches.  
"How about this, we'll hire you to collect information of what we want to know, and in exchange, we'll answer ONE demand for each piece of information. Is that a deal?  
Anita gave it a thought and smiled.  
"It's a deal, but have to answer my demands no matter what they are." She looked at me like a predator would to prey.  
"Good, now for my first demand. Do you know any places with a good view at the night sky?"  
I was a bit puzzled at that question. Why would he want to look at the night sky?  
"That's easy. The clock tower north of the city. They have a balcony with a lovely restaurant just to view the stars."  
"Thanks" Itchy handed her a card of some kind. Anita seemed very surprised and happy to receive it. "Why don't you go buy yourself something nice.  
Itchy and I started heading back to the bike but Anita stopped us.  
"Hey! What about our deal?"  
"What, the gift card wasn't enough?"  
"You said you would give me "Anything I demanded" remember? I didn't ask for a gift card no matter how rare and enjoyable it will be!"  
"Well, what do you want?" I asked.

* * *

We spent weeks in this city, so how on Mobius did I never know about the clock tower!? The tower is huge compared to the rest of the city! It looks like it was made of solid gold and rubies! Half way up there's even a giant slot machine for decoration!  
When we arrived at the base of the tower, I had to bend my neck all the way back just to see the balcony, and the tower goes up further than that!  
"Well, this is the place. No doubt about it." Itchy muttered.  
Itchy and I walked up to the entrance where a long line of Mobians were also waiting for entry. The line went on for about two blocks just to get in. I don't even want to know how long the line is inside the tower.  
"Damn, there goes that plan." Itchy muttered.  
"What plan?" I asked.  
"I was hoping to get you a view of the stars tonight." I was a bit surprised by that answer.  
I could only reply by asking "What?"  
"Well it's just that...I noticed that you like to star gaze is all." He started to blush.  
That is true, but lately the only stargazing I can get in this city is sitting on top of the casino and hope that I can at least see one star. Even Rouge started to worry about me. Looking at him, I can see that he was really determined to get me a good view. He seemed pretty disappointed. It's the nicest thing tried to do for me so far, besides saving my life of course.  
"So why'd you want to do it?" I asked.  
"Well the last thing we did was something I wanted to do so I figured it's your turn."  
I gave him a hug for trying and decided it was time to go home. I took one last look at the tower and saw how it's flat up top and looks kind of like a chess piece.  
"Wait a minute!" I shouted.  
I ran towards the bike and looked over the handle bars. Just as I thought, there's a red button on the left bar that's out of the way.  
"What's wrong?" Itchy asked.  
I pushed the button and jumped back as the tires swelled up like a puffer fish and grew spikes all over themselves. Itchy also jumped back from the spikes. He seemed surprised at first, then he seemed kinda upset. I guess he didn't like being scared.  
"What is that?" Itchy asked.  
"I don't know, but the grunt used it to climbed up a building when I chased him. Maybe you can use it to climb the tower?"  
"Don't you mean we?"  
"Nope, just you." I lifted my leg and showed him the bottom of my boot "I can just run up the tower."  
"Won't that be dangerous?" Itchy yelled with worry.  
"don't worry i do it all the time. My boots have these grips that kinda work like how flies stick the walls for about a millisecond. My feet aren't on the ground for even half of that!"  
"But what if you fall?"  
"Itchy, trust me. I'll be fine."  
Itchy looked at me with skepticism while I smiled back. His one weakness.  
"Alright fine. Just don't fall, I don't know what I'd do if..." Itchy couldn't get himself to say it.  
Itchy hopped on the bike and drove up to the tower. He gave it a little gas and was amazed to see the bike stick to the wall and not budge after he hit the brakes.  
"Why don't you go on ahead while I get used to this eh Sonar?"  
"No way, I'm not going until you go."  
"I might take a while."  
"That's okay with me. Just as long as I get to race you."  
Itchy seemed confused.  
"What? I want to race you up the tower. What's wrong with that?" I answered.  
Itchy eventually got up the wall a few feet above the ground.  
"Okay I think I got it."  
"Good. Now, on your mark, get set...!"  
"Hang on Sonar, I just now got it not master it!"  
"GO!"  
I ran up the tower as fast as I could, leaving Itchy in the dust. The feeling of the wind rushing by you at high speeds always felt amazing and is always welcome to me. I started to stare up to the sky and watch the top of the tower get closer and closer. I was at peace...at least until Itchy passed me up.  
Itchy drove right past me and got the lead, but I'm not going to just stand by. I rushed up the tower until I caught up with Itchy and we were neck and neck. We grew closer and closer to the top and gave it our all. It's just like old times back with Sonic.  
We eventually reached the top and, of course, I won. I watched Itchy put the bike stand up and walk over to me. We sat at the edge of the tower and looked up, it's beautiful. We were so high above all the lights, we could see all the stars shine brightly as they always have. This is the view I would always look up to every night. It's nice to see it again after so long. It's like visiting a friend you haven't seen for a long time. I looked at Itchy.  
"Itchy."  
"Yeah?"  
I gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.  
"thank you."  
We stood there for what seemed like forever. The night sky and some peace and quiet are what kept us company. We eventually had to go home however, as it was getting late.  
"Hey Itchy."  
"Yeah?"  
"Why was Anita wearing your belt buckle?"

* * *

We got home very late, so late in fact, Tyler and Ernie were furious at us. Caesar was even sad about not seeing us all day. We went upstairs and started playing a video game we bought on the way back. It's some kind of platformer about two dwarves trying to save their goddess from an evil demon and his army of lesser demons. We played for a whole hour in silence until Itchy began to speak.  
"Hey Sonar."  
"Yes?"  
"I just remembered. I don't think I told you what my brother is did I?"  
I paused the game and looked at Itchy. I waited on his answer for the question I asked earlier.  
"Alright. Like I was trying to say earlier, my broth*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK*"  
"Sonar it's me. Open the door." Tyler's voice was heard from the door.  
"Hang on, I'll get it." I groaned. I really want to know the answer.  
I opened the door to see Tyler standing there with a smile.  
"Hello Tyler." I said.  
"Sonar, great news. Madame Rouge has returned!"  
"That's great! Where is she?"  
"Right here."  
I stepped back in fear when I saw him. Morgul walked into my line of sight with his arms behind his back. Rouge is nowhere to be seen.  
"Thank you Tyler. Please go back downstairs and continue working." He said.  
"Right away Madame Rouge! Good night Sonar!" Tyler hopped back downstairs like nothing was wrong.  
"Sonar. So that is your name, I remember now." Morgul forced his way into the room while all I could do was back up and try to avoid him.  
"Sonar!" Itchy ran up to us and pulled out his laser gun, aiming directly at Morgul, but he didn't fire.  
Morgul had raised his hand towards Itchy and they both glowed and eerie glow.  
"Go to bed James. You are getting very sleepy."  
"I am sleepy. I think I will go to bed." Itchy muttered with a monotone voice. He went to bed and wouldn't wake up.  
"Now that all distractions are pushed aside, we may now discuss things Lady Echo."  
I sat down on the couch while Morgul sat at a chair across from me. He sat there while drinking tea.  
"First of all, I'd like to congratulate you on surviving the attack."  
"Did you have something to do with it?" I snarled.  
"Dear girl, if I wanted you dead, you would be. That attack was not by my hands. My second topic, I wish for you to cease this public stunt and quit the tournament."  
"Why's that?"  
"Because you are drawing eyes besides my own. Someone is pulling strings behind my back which I do not enjoy. Besides you have what you want, my attention."  
"Morgul, and NEXGEN are not who they say they are."  
"Do you think I am dense!? I know well enough about the lies they spin! Unlike you, however, I am subtle and wish to wait for their move. Your appearance weeks ago has caused stir in their midsts and they shy away from every attempt I make to get closer!" Morgul was getting angry.  
"These people won't just stand around until they receive orders. I've seen how they work. Mr. Beak and this tournament are just distractions while they work on something even bigger!"  
"And what would that be?"  
"I don't know, but they're working on it. Those kids were a part of it."  
"Yes...the children. I knew they were in danger when I saw them. Which is why I chose to take them under my care. No one can find them, not even you."  
"Morgul, those kids are from Sanctuary. We're here to rescue them."  
Morgul stroked his trunk with thought.  
"Very well Lady Echo, let's make a deal. If you can deal with their hidden agenda, I will hand you the children. But if you fail, you must leave and never return."  
The deal was very dangerous. If we can stop NEXGEN's plan, we can save the kids and go home. If we don't, we lose the kids and NEXGEN will be free to do as they please.  
"Deal."  
"A wise choice."  
Morgul got up and started walking out the door.  
"Oh, and I am serious about you quitting the tournament. Forces are moving to make sure you lose. And when you see that rat with wings, tell her I loathe her."  
"You don't know where Rouge is?"  
"I thought you would."  
"How did you know where we were? Or that we were even alive?"  
Morgul pulled out a newspaper and threw it at me.  
"You two make a cute couple. I recommend cherishing your time together. I hope you enjoyed your date."  
I looked at the front cover and was shocked to see an article about James Slugcommando, and more shocking, me. The front picture itself was of Itchy and I back at the park posing in front of the camera. Itchy had his hand on my shoulder while I leaned on him...just like Anita asked. She works fast.  
"IT WASN"T A DATE!"


	15. Chapter 15: Round 2 The mask

How About an Adventure? Ch.15 Round two, the mask.

I opened the Scumbucket's trailer and got a closer look at it. I examined it from every angle but could see nothing of importance or anything that stands out. This motorbike, how is it possible? I thought for sure that it was forgotten, never to be seen again. Yet here it is in my own trailer. I guess you can run from the past all you want, but it's always bound to catch up to you.

"Itchy, are you there?" I heard Sonar's voice yell out from the back door of the casino.

I quickly covered up the bike with a tarp and randomly looked through a pile of junk.

"There you are! What are you doing in here?" Sonar asked when she found me.

"I was uh...looking for something."

"Oh. Do you need any help?"

"Nah, it can wait till later. Did you need something?"

"Oh yeah, Ernie wants to see you. He said it's important."

It's the day before my next match and well after our little get together. I've been training from day to night or until the point where my body gives out. Rouge hasn't come back yet, which seems to be bothering everyone in the casino. Because of this, Ernie and Tyler have been running the place which means that Ernie doesn't have the time to train me right now. Instead, Sonar has been practicing with me and wow does she put you to work. The first thing she did was have me run around the casino fifty times while carrying her on my back! Then she made me push her back ten meters while she's charging at me at full speed! If that wasn't enough, our skirmishes were brutal, she would not hold back anything! I thought for sure my body would turn to dust before my next match even started! I can't really stay mad at her though. She means well and is just trying to harden me up.

I walked into the casino to see Tyler and Ernie. Sonar was at the back talking to Caesar.

"Is something wrong?" I asked.

"No, nothing's wrong. You have a visitor." Ernie explained.

A visitor? The only person who isn't in this building that I know is Allie and there's no way they would let her in.

"Itchy" Tyler called "Meet your next opponent."

Tyler pointed to a Mobian behind him sitting at the bar. He's a large puma with a fair amount of muscle. He's wearing a pair of yellow, silk but thick pants topped with a black belt and a large, oval belt buckle. The most interesting part about him was the mask he's wearing that covers his entire head save for the eyes and mouth. It's a silver mask with gold markings, and a cross on the forehead.

"Buenos noches James." He spoke with a Spanish accent.

"Good morning James." A Mobian next to him spoke out.

The other Mobian is a flea and is much smaller than the coyote. He's wearing a tuxedo and a top hat.

"Who are you?" I asked the flea.

"My name is Martin and this is Diego." The flea also has an accent, but not as thick. "I am Señor Diego's sponsor and interpreter. Señor Diego wishes to talk to you about tomorrows fight."

"Is there something wrong?"

"Diego believes that someone is trying to sabotage the fight."

This caught our attention. Tyler, Ernie, and I listened attentively to Diego and his flea.

"Why do you think that?" Ernie asked.

"This morning, a strange Mobian came up to Señor Diego and told him that he could help him win the fight. He said he knows a way to make him stronger with in no time, but Diego is a cheetah of honor. He told the Mobian to leave, and when he wouldn't, he made him leave. The strange Mobian was angry and threatened Diego. It seems he plans on keeping his word."

"Why's that?" Tyler asked.

"They threatened his prometida."

We stared at him with bewildered faces.

"Oh, um...the one he is going to marry. She was coming home from the store when she saw a strange Mobian at her door. She went to Señor Diego's home but was being followed. She said he would've got her if she didn't reach his home."

"Is she alright?" I asked.

"Si Señor, Diego insisted that she stay close by at all times. She's right over there." He pointed towards Sonar and Caesar.

More specifically the little Siamese cat watching Caesar flex. She's wearing a white sundress with a sweater and seems to be enjoying herself.

"Diego gave her some money to play. He said she can look, but don't touch."

"So why did you come to me?" I asked.

"Because Diego says the strange Mobian mentioned you by name. He didn't say he wanted Diego to win the tournament. He only said he wanted him to beat you. Isn't that strange?"

I looked at Diego, he looked back while lapping at his drink. That's just unsettling.

"So what do you want us to do?" Ernie asked.

"At the moment, nothing. He only wishes to warn you about this strange Mobian. He may come after you too."

"We'll do that. Thanks for warning us." I answered.

Diego finished his drink and paid for it. After saying goodbye, he called his fiancé who I now know is named Patricia and she ran to cuddle him, he completely dwarfed her. They left in each other's arms. Sonar walked up to us.

"They seem nice. What did I miss?"

"Sonar, I recommend you stay close from now on." I advised.

"Why?"

"Because I think NEXGEN knows who we are, and they'll do anything to make sure we lose."

Sonar said nothing. She muttered to herself something like "just like he said." or something like that. I chose to ignore it. If it was important, she would have told me.

"Itchy there's something I have to tell you."

See what I mean?

"A few days ago, Morgul gave us a visit."

We took a step back from this.

"Why didn't you tell us!?" Tyler shouted.

Sonar looked at Tyler with a bitter face.

"I wouldn't talk if I were you, you were the one who let him in."

Tyler looked confused.

"He told me that NEXGEN is getting nervous. They don't like that we're getting close. He said we should quit the tournament."

I started to think about this. The upside about this is that Morgul is finally starting to pay attention to us and he knows that NEXGEN is not what they say it is. The downside is that NEXGEN now know who we are. Things could get really dangerous soon. The only reason why they haven't attacked yet is probably because we are in the public's focus. The people won't take kindly to the tournament sponsors getting rid of one of the contestants.

What do we do now?" Tyler asked.

"Madame Rouge would tell us to continue the plan and get Morgul on our side." Ernie explained.

"That's another thing. Morgul said he'll help us if we exploit NEXGEN first." Sonar announced.

This is a bit of good news. If NEXGEN is going so far as to giving threats and trying to get people to cheat let alone kidnapping, that means they're bound to show their ugly heads eventually. I'm positive they'll try something at the fight, but I can't make it obvious that I'm expecting them.

"I'm sure they'll try something at the fight, but they can't know we're expecting them. I need you guys to watch over the fight. All the focus will be on me and you guys can snoop around."

"Sounds like a good plan to me." Sonar exclaimed.

"I just wish Madame Rouge was here, she's a pro at spying on people." Tyler commented.

"Madame Rouge is doing something else right now. We'll have to work without her, it's what she would want." Ernie noted.

"We'll just have to do our best. Don't worry Itchy, we got your back." Sonar assured.

"Good. I'm counting on you guys."

"That's what friends are for silly." Sonar joked.

* * *

That night was very peaceful. Lately Sonar has been wearing some kind of nose guard that stops her from snoring. I don't know what caused her to start doing that, but I'm grateful.

I woke up fully rested and, for once, I'm actually excited about today's match. I'm not happy about the part where I might get brutally beaten, but rather the part where NEXGEN may finally show their true colors. Then we can stop them once and for all, save the kids, make peace with my brother, and go home.

Sonar shouted in disgust when she saw me get out of bed. I looked at the inflatable mattress and saw that it was covered in orange fur. I'm molting.

"Molting? I though only birds do that with their feathers."

"Did you already forget? I'm half bird! Besides it's not all bad, I have another coat underneath."

"Itchy, don't you get it? You're going to lose your disguise."

I completely forgot about that. I've been wearing the disguise for so long I started to ignore it. I looked at my arm and rubbed my finger against it. A small patch of fur fell off, revealing a spot of dark brown. Even the quills on my head started to break apart when gravity removed them from my scalp.

"Should we add another coat?" Sonar suggested.

"No. There's no point in recoloring a coat that's already falling off. It'll take a very long time for the whole thing to fall off. We'll just have to hide it until it's all gone."

We sat there trying to figure out a way past this problem. We'd still be thinking, but we hit a distraction. At that moment, a brick smashed through the window. Attached to the brick was video cassette with the words "Watch me" written on it with marker. Sonar and I rushed to the window to see a black car drive off. Not knowing what to expect, we put the cassette into the cassette player and hit play.

We were horrified by the video on screen as it showed us none other than Rouge, bound and gagged while hanging from a hook on the wall. She seems unconscious.

"Good morning Ms. Sonar and fighter James. I congratulate you for coming this far into the tournament but I'm afraid the fun ends here." A nasally voice spoke from off screen.

"I know that voice! It's Mr. Beaks!" Sonar shouted.

Sonar told me about this Beak guy and how he tried to get them killed. He's the representative of NEXGEN to Morgul, and right now he has our friend.

"Now I'm not one for wasting time so here's the deal. If you win the tournament, she dies. If you tell the police or that pesky Mammoth, she dies. If you don't leave town and end this pesky game of cat and mouse, she dies. If you join us, then maybe we'll let her live. The choice is yours, hedgehogs. You wouldn't want your little friend to get hurt do you?"

He snapped his fingers and two grunts began poking her with tasers. She woke and let out a blood curdling scream as the volts ran through her body, making her twitch in pain. Somewhere in the process, the cloth on her mouth fell off.

"Don't listen to him, he's as much of a liar as he is ugly. Just stick to the plan and don't worry about me, I'll be fine."

They hit her again with the tasers.

"Now who's lying!? You will do as I say or the bat gets clipped!"

The video ended there. Sonar and I looked at each other in horror of what we just witnessed. We told Tyler and Ernie immediately.

"This is terrible! Madame Rouge being tortured? Unacceptable!" Tyler shouted.

"Those bastards have gone too far. If they think this is going to scare us, they got another thing coming." Ernie growled.

"But we can't just leave Rouge like that. They'll kill her!" Sonar noted.

We stood around the bar trying to come up with a plan. I started to chow down on an apple to calm my nerves but spat it out in disgust.

"Ew that's nasty!" I shouted.

"What's wrong?" They all asked.

I grabbed a glass of water for my parched throat "That apple was salty."

"Salty?" Ernie grabbed the apple and gave it a one over.

"Ernie! I thought you to make sure the fruits are fresh!" Tyler scolded.

Ernie said nothing and grabbed my hand. After a quick look, he gave it a lick.

"Argh! You too Ernie!?"

"It's salt." He said.

"It's what?" Sonar asked.

"Salt. More specifically sea salt. Probably from one of the piers."

"Sea salt? I haven't been near any piers since...you know." I noted.

Sonar suddenly twitched her ears upward and ran towards the condo. She came back with the cassette and sniffed it.

"Just as I thought, the cassette's covered in salt." She explained.

"That means that where ever this tape came from is where they have Rouge hostage!" Tyler exclaimed.

Ernie took the cassette and rubbed his finger against it. Even from my position I could see the large clump of salt he picked up.

"There's still a lot of salt on it. That means that it was near the ocean recently. She's probably still there."

"Then we have no time to lose!" Sonar shouted.

I looked Ernie's watch and noticed that we only have an hour before my fight.

"I'm afraid we'll have to split up. Sonar, you need to look for Rouge. Check every pier and beach in town."

She nodded her head.

"You two are going to have to join me at the fight and keep an eye out for NEXGEN. They are definitely going to try something."

They also nodded.

Sonar ran out the door as fast as she could. I can only hope she finds her in time.

I'm not going to lose anyone else.

* * *

We arrived at the match's location. It's a large warehouse in the middle of town surrounded by a barbed wire fence. A lot of people came to watch the fight from reporters to fan (And not one seems to be mine). Agatha and her camera monkey is nowhere to be seen in the crowd. This is to be expected, seeing how she's the one who drove us here.

Ashley drove like a maniac to the casino when we called her for a ride and the entire time the monkey had his camera on us. Surprisingly she did not ask us a single question. She actually seems to be holding up her end of the bargain of only getting one demand per Intel she gives us. I do kind of regret that deal however, her demands have been...weird.

"So where's your friend?" She asked.

"Out doing something important." I asked.

"Something to do with Morgul? He's been on the move lately."

"What do you mean?"

"I heard that the trust between him and our "evil corporation" is growing slim. They've been at each other's necks since this tournament started."

Even more good news. Morgul may not be on our side, but at least he's not on theirs.

"So now that I gave you a bit of info, our deal says I get one demand."

Damn. "What do you want this time? And please, try to contain yourself." I had enough of her weird demands.

"Just tell me where your friend went. I want the full story."

"She's on a rescue mission."

"Rescue mission?"

"You remember our friend, the bat?"

"She's in danger? Is it the evil corporation?"

"No doubt about it. They're threatening to kill her if we don't cooperate."

"That's terrible. I hope she's okay."

"Yes that's very nice of you, now can you stop locking the doors and let us out!?" Tyler shouted.

Angela finally let us out of the car and we left the parking lot. We entered the warehouse and were swarmed by reporters who took picture after picture of our new outfits.

Instead of the usual disguise, I had to switch to a green turtleneck and some large, leather gloves. The only thing not covered is my head which is usually the last part of the molting process. Ernie is wearing a white tux to go against his fur and a red tie. Tyler's just wearing a bow tie around his neck.

Even Amelia and her monkey were dressed up. Amaya's wearing a long, black skirt with a white rim at the bottom. She's still wearing a vest but this one seems more regal than the one she usually wears, it looks okay with that new blouse she's wearing and all that makeup. It all looks pretty expensive though. Her monkey's wearing a monkey suit.

The reporters hit us with question after question but I ignored all of them and kept an eye out for anything strange. In the middle of the warehouse is a large wrestling ring and Diego on one end. I looked at Tyler and Ernie and they disappeared into the crowd while Adriana and her monkey stayed close and recorded the fight.

I walked up to Diego, Martin approached as well.

"Diego, you were right." I said. Martin translated for me. "They did try something. They have our friend and are threatening to kill her if I win but we're getting her back as we speak. I need you to try and drag out this fight for as long as possible."

Diego nodded his head and went back to his corner where he received a kiss from his fiancé.

I headed back to my corner where Ernie is waiting.

"We haven't seen anything weird yet so be careful. Watch out for his speed, luchadors are trained to use their speed to their advantage."

I nodded my head and took a sip from the water bottle he gave me. I looked up to see the announcer.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the second round of Casinopolis's very first fighting tournament! This match is going to be a traditional wrestling match in which our fighters will have to pin each other down for a total of three seconds to be announced the winner." He walked over to me "In this corner: the smallest but smartest of all fighters. He has the heart to take a girl for a nice day around town yet has the endurance to wear a turtleneck sweater in a hot steamy warehouse on a pretty hot day. James Slugcannon!"

Minus my friends and Adeline, no one clapped or cheered or anything. I know I'm not a fan favorite but...ouch.

"And in this corner: A puma who honors tradition older than the Mobian race itself. A mighty predator in the ring while a soft kitty with his betrothed. Diego Ramirez!"

The entire crowd cheered for him as loud as they could. Many fans were dressed just like him.

"Now I want a good, clean fight. No dirty tricks, and try to put on a show for the crowd."

Diego and I stared each other down as the announcer left the ring.

"Now ladies and gentlemen, LET'S GET READY TO RUMBLE!"

Diego and I charged at each other when the bell rang. He tried to grab me with his claws but a quick jump nullified that attack. I grabbed the bottom of his mask and ducked between his legs, causing him to flip forward with a loud thud as he hit the ground. Before I could regain my footing he grabbed me from behind and tossed me towards the ropes and gave me a face full of fist on my return. I wiped the blood from my lips and got ready for the next attack, he didn't attack me.

The audience and I became confused as we watched Diego grabbing his head and yelling in pain. He fell on his knees and tried to rip his mask off like it was burning him alive. I approached him with care.

"Diego? You okay there buddy?"

Martin approached as well. He seemed awfully worried.

"Señor Diego, que pasa?"

"Algo esta bajo mi mascara!" Diego shouted.

For fifteen minutes, the paramedics and Martin tried to calm Diego down and trying to get his mask off. Then he just stopped. Diego just stood up like nothing happened. Martin asked him if he was alright but he didn't reply. He didn't do anything.

"Señor Diego?"

Diego finally answered, by grabbing Martin's face and throwing him halfway down the warehouse. He suddenly rampaged and attacked the paramedics, tossing one out the ring and punching the other. He stopped and looked at me, snarling with foam coming from his mouth. He let out a loud roar and charged at me on all fours.

I panicked and turned around, giving him a face full of quills with many breaking off and sticking to him. As he tried to brush them off, I tackled him to the ground and tried to punch his head as hard as I could, big mistake. The first hit let out a large metal ring and I recoiled in pain. Diego grabbed me and, after he got his footing, pile drived me head first. I got up just in time to narrowly dodge a swipe from his claws, leaving a tear in my sweater.

As I recovered, he pulled out one of the rings poles like it was a stick in fresh mud and tossed it at me. I ducked out of the way in the nick of time.

"Itchy! Get out of there he's going crazy!" Ernie shouted.

I took the advice and ran out of the ring and Diego followed. The crowd ran out of the way in fear as Diego took more swipes at me and eventually punched me out of the warehouse. At that moment, I noticed that Diego's punch is a lot more powerful than it was before, and I'm talking about when I ran into it head on! Something's happening to Diego that seems to be making him go berserk, and whatever I punched earlier may have something to do with it.

Diego lunged at me again but now I'm ready for him. I grabbed a piece of the warehouse that broke off and jammed his mouth open. I grabbed Diego by his tail while he's distracted and swung him around a bit before launching him towards the fence.

Abigail and Patricia ran up to me from the hole in the wall.

"What's going on? Why is he acting like this!?" Ariana asked.

"I think something's messing with his head under his mask." I explained.

Patricia suddenly ran off when Diego recovered. He pulled the shrapnel out of his mouth and tossed it at us. I ran out the way at first but noticed that Anya would not move as she was frozen by fear. I didn't think and jumped to push her out of the way. She's safe, but I ended up with a huge gash on my back.

"Anita, are you okay?"

"You...you actually said my name."

'Anita, did you get hit?" I shouted.

"No, no I'm fine. I'm just a little shaken."

"Get out of here. Find my friends and tell them something's messing with him."

Anita didn't answer and ran off towards the crowd watching at a distance.

Diego snuck up on me and grabbed me by my neck. He brought me to eye level and roared as loud as I assume he could. His grip got tighter and I started blacking out. I had to think fast or else I might lose more than that match.

I thought of a plan, not a good plan but still a plan. I reached into the tears of my sweater and pulled out a wad of my molting fur and shoved it into his mouth as far as I could. He dropped me as he choked on my fur ball and I took a deep breath. I spared no time and searched for a weapon while he started coughing up the hair. He got on all fours and started to stretch his neck out. The noises he made sickened the crowd and myself when he finally got it out, leaving a large wet ball of hair.

As he was doing that, I found myself a large piece of pipe and bashed him across the head with it. I struck him again and again until he finally stopped trying to get up. I stood on top of him and the announcer from a distance, counted down to three and announced me the winner.

The crowd cheered quietly as I moved towards them, but once again screamed in terror as Diego recollected himself and charged. I tried to hit him once more but he caught the pipe in his jaw and snapped it in two. He pinned me down and snarled, showing me all of his sharp teeth. I laid there frozen in fear as I saw those teeth because I know what he intends to do with them. He opened his mouth and lunged at me. He never reached me though, a friend was holding him back.

Rouge was holding him by his mask.

"I leave you alone and you end up nearly getting yourself killed. What am I going to do with you?" She shouted.

She pulled harder and harder until the mask finally snapped. Rouge was sent flying from the recoil and Diego's face is revealed, along with a strange device on his forehead.

The device sparked and hummed and seems to be sown into his head, there's no doubt this is what's making him nuts.

"We have to get rid of that thing!" I alerted.

"Here use this." Rouge tossed me a taser much like the ones in the video.

Diego charged at me one last time with his mouth wide open. At the last minute, I jabbed the taser up the roof of his mouth and shocked him. The device sparked and smoked until it couldn't handle it anymore and detonated.

Diego eventually woke up and rubbed his burnt forehead and asked what happened according to Martin.

"Rouge, are you okay?" I asked.

"I'm fine, don't worry your fuzzy little head."

"I guess Sonar found you just in time right?"

"Sonar?"

"I didn't save her." Sonar ran up to us. She seems awfully confused. "I saved Patricia though." And she's right.

She's holding Patricia by the hand. She seems shaken up from the run. I can relate.

"Wait, if you have Patricia, then who was with us at the warehouse?" I asked.

The other Patricia was singled out by the crowd. Surprised, she lunged at us with a hidden knife and tried to stab me. Luckily she was sent flying down the street by a large gust of air. Sonar stood proud as she watched the aftermath of her attack.

"Looks like someone's been practicing." I said.

"I had to do something when you and Rouge weren't around."

We approached the stunned fake and took a closer look. The skin under her eyes seemed like they're out of place. We tore away at the skin mask and revealed a tomcat.

"I take it you work for NEXGEN?" I asked.

"You think because you stopped me that it's the end? When my superiors find out about this, you're so dead." She threatened.

"Oh please, one look at you and the whole world will be on your hide."

"Not unless they never see me."

Her chest started to shine brightly and a loud humming can be heard.

"It's a bomb1" Sonar shouted as she grabbed Rouge and I and ran away from the suicide bomber.

There was nothing left of her.

* * *

After a trip to the hospital and all my wounds were sewn shut, Sonar and the others were allowed into my room.

"Congratulations on the win Itchy." Sonar said.

"I got to say, you really did handle it pretty well." Ernie admitted.

"Ditto." Said Tyler.

For the first time since I met her, Anita didn't say anything at all. She and her monkey just stayed in the corner and watched us. They didn't even bring a camera.

Caesar seemed okay though. He rushed in and gave me a bone crushing hug like always and mentioned that he won.

Rouge walked in as well "You did good fur ball."

"Thanks. How did they catch you anyway?"

"I suppose that deserves an explanation. I couldn't help but notice that Morgul was seemed to be on edge so I decided to spy on him and our "Friends". Everything was going swell until I got caught. You know the rest."

"This isn't good. They're getting on edge. If this was the first warning than who knows what they might do next."

"I guess we'll have to stay on our toes then." She commented.

"Here's another question. I ended up saving Patricia. Who saved you?" Sonar asked.

"Oh yeah, get this. A bunch of hired guns bursted into the building and saved me from those brutes."

"Hired guns?"

"Yup. They said they were hired by an anonymous agent but I know for a fact it was Morgul."

"Morgul?"

"Yup. I always knew he had a soft spot for me. Now tidy yourselves up we have visitors."

We looked at the door to see Martin, Patricia, and Diego come in. Diego's head is wrapped up in bandages.

"Buena's tardes Señor James. Señor Diego wanted to say hello." Martin announced.

"That's nice." I said.

"He also wanted to apologize for all that has happened today and thank you for being so kind and helping him. We also want to thank señorita Sonar for saving Patricia. Turns out she didn't get home safe yesterday like the imposter said and was captured. She was the one to put the strange device on Diego's head at night."

"You're welcome. Now I want to ask something. Diego doesn't seem like a normal thug. Why did he join the tournament?" I asked.

"Oh that is very nice of you to notice. You are right, Diego is no thug but rather he joined the tournament to pay for him and his fiancés wedding and honeymoon. He loves Patricia so much that he wants to have a proper wedding for her and an excellent honeymoon but he did not have the money to do so. He entered the tournament hoping the prized would be money but it seems he lost."

"Oh...I'm sorry."

"You do not need to be. Señorita Rouge said that we could have the wedding at her place and she even promised to pay for the honeymoon."

We all looked at Rouge.

"What? I just wanted to be nice. Besides I always wanted to hold weddings at the casino and this story will be great publicity in the papers. Right Anita?" She looked directly at Anita.

"You two know each other?" I asked.

"Yes we do, I'm her number one source of information on you two." Rouge admitted.

Sonar and I shot daggers at her through our eyes. That's how Anita knew so much about us.

"Hey that reminds me. What did you win for this match anyway?" Sonar asked.

I reached into my back pocket and pulled out a slip of paper.

"One free table at some fancy restaurant in town. What do you say we cash this thing in and we all go out to eat tonight?" Everyone agreed with the idea.

After a discharge from the doctor, we headed out the doors and towards the restaurant except for Anita and her monkey.

"What's the matter you two?"

"We were heading home. You go enjoy your party."

"Didn't you hear me? I said we're all going out to eat tonight. That includes you two."

"You mean it?"

"I think you deserve it. Besides I think it's high time I told you the truth about everything."

"What?"

"Yup. But you have to promise to never tell it to anyone."

"I promise, James."

"Great. Also you can stop calling me James."

"Why?"

"Because that's not my name. You can call me Itchy."


	16. Chapter 16: With friends like you

How About an Adventure? Ch.16 With friends like you...

"Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh!"

I jumped for joy at the amazing news.

It's the day after the last fight and right now I'm happy to hear the great news that Patricia just told me. She wants me to be a bridesmaid for her wedding!

"Of course I will!" I shouted in excitement.

Patricia looked at me funny. Understandable, I said it in English, not Spanish.

"Oh right. Um...si lo hare" I tried to translate the best I could.

Patricia seems to have understood me and gave me a big hug in happiness. Martin spoke up after we calmed down.

"Excellent señorita and thank you. Patricia believes this is the least she could do after you saved her from those bastardos who tried to wrong her fiancé. We already have the dresses for the bridesmaids if you want to see them."

"I would love to see the dresses, thank you."

"Bueno, I shall return." Martin hopped away downstairs leaving Patricia in the condo with Itchy and me.

I invited her to sit down on the couch where Itchy sat watching TV. She accepted and sat down next to him, acknowledging him with a smile, he replied with a nod.

I looked at Itchy and frowned. He's not wearing a shirt and without it, I can see the bandages covering his wounds on his torso and arms. The pain from these wounds have limited his movement and freedom, he can only walk around the casino for now. The uglier part is his fur with large patches of his original coat showing due to the molting. How long will it take for the whole thing to come off?

"Hey Sonar, I didn't know you speak Spanish." Itchy said.

"I took classes when I was younger." I replied.

I sat between Itchy and Patricia. We watched TV for a bit and eventually started a conversation by asking Patricia when the wedding is. She held up four fingers.

"Four days!?" I shouted.

She nodded her head.

"But what about preparations? There's too much work to be done in just four days"

"Sonar, if I may interrupt." Itchy stopped me "Martin said they've been engaged for a while now but couldn't hold a proper wedding due to lack of funds. Maybe they're tired of waiting?"

Itchy does make a point. I don't think I could stand having to wait such a long time to get married to my betrothed. The idea scares me.

I translated everything we said to Patricia and she agreed with Itchy. She went on to say that they've actually been engaged for about a year now and it would've taken much longer to finally get hitched if it weren't for Rouge.

"I gotta say, you do seem awfully excited about this wedding." Itchy noted.

I smiled with a blush "I really enjoy weddings because it's a huge part of someone's life. Just being invited to watch one feels like a huge honor because that shows how close we are and how strong our friendship is. Being a bridesmaid is no exception either."

I gave Patricia a big hug as thanks for letting me become a part of her wedding.

"Sometimes I catch myself daydreaming about the wedding I want to have one day. The idea of walking down the aisle to my soon to be husband makes me so happy I could cry." I wiped a tear from my cheek when I caught myself daydreaming again.

Itchy looked at me funny but seems to not be all that bothered about it.

"Don't you ever think about the day you'll get married?" I asked.

"I don't think I'll ever get married."

"Oh come on. There's bound to be someone out there for you. Isn't there someone you're interested in?"

"I'm going to be honest with you. The only girl I've ever had any proper interaction with is you."

"You're kidding."

He gave me a serious look. He's not kidding. Thankfully Martin came back to break the ice.

Martin showed me a beautiful yellow dress with a sliver ribbon and a red flower on a head band. With permission, I headed into the bathroom and changed into the dress. It's a little loose, but I still think it looks amazing. Rouge walked into the condo just before I came out of the bathroom.

"I guess you like the dress. It looks good on you." She said.

"Thanks. Aren't you getting one too?" I asked.

"Nope. The wedding's happening in the casino so I have to be the one who makes it official. I wouldn't say I'm unhappy though, I don't mind."

Rouge's attention moved towards Itchy who's ignoring the conversation five feet away from him.

"Don't think you're off the hook fuzzy. Someone's gotta make this place look presentable for the wedding." She pulled his ear to grab his attention.

"Ow, quit it!" He shouted.

"You have four days to prepare the casino for the wedding. If you don't, there will be consequences" She threatened.

"Why do I have to do it?"

"Because you work for me remember?"

"Rouge, Itchy's not exactly in perfect health right now. Do you think you can get someone else to do it?" I asked.

"I didn't say he's going to be the one setting the place up. I meant he's going to be the one in charge. The others are too busy with other things."

She handed him a clipboard with a very long list of things that need to be done prior to the wedding.

"Are you kidding? There's no way I can get all this done in four days!"

"Then you'd best think of something brainiac. In the meantime, we girls are going out for a night on the town." She said as she grabbed Patricia's and my arm.

"Wait, we're going to do what now?" I asked.

"We're throwing a bachelorette party of course. We're celebrating Patty's last few days of being single." Rouge seems pretty happy about this.

"But what about the work that needs to be done here?" I asked.

"Don't worry, Ernie, Tyler, and the others will get right on that when they come back from Diego's bachelor party."

"THEY WHAT!" Itchy shouted.

"Oh don't worry. I told them you couldn't come because you were too busy working."

Itchy looked like he was about to blow a fuse. Who can blame him? You save a guy's life from the hands of an evil doppelgänger of your fiancé and you're not invited to the party? I'd be pretty upset too.

"Let's leave fuzzy to himself before he blows the roof off this place." Rouge pushed us out the door. Just before we went downstairs I could hear Itchy shout things no Mobian should ever shout. Some I've never even heard of.

* * *

Once again I am inside Rouge's favorite limo heading towards another place Rouge wants to drag me too. The only difference is Patricia who seems a little too excited about being in a limo.

"Are we going to visit Jacque again?" I asked.

"Are you crazy? This is a bachelorette party. No men allowed remember?" She reminded.

"Well I thought with Jacque being...Jacque, I thought he'd be an exception."

Rouge grabbed my cheeks and gave them a little squeeze.

"That's just like you, always thinking about everyone. You're too nice for your own good, you know that?" She said in a flirty voice.

I slapped her hands away and rubbed the pain away.

"So if we're not going to Jacque, then where are we going?"

"My favorite place with my favorite kind of bubbles. Also some other activities but mostly the bubbles."

"How can you afford all this anyway?"

"It's not expensive. It's five hundred bucks at most."

"No, I mean everything. The limo, the casino, the amazing dresses collecting dust in your closet. There's no way the casino alone can pay for all that."

Rouge's expression became serious. It felt like I was touching a subject that shouldn't be brought up. She gave a look at Patricia who didn't understand a word we said. She then looked back at me with a smile.

"I'm going to let you in on a secret. Do you wanna know why knuckles can't stand me?"

I could think of a million reasons. Its knuckles we're talking about after all.

"It's because I tend to take jewels that...don't really belong to me."

"You're a thief!?" I yelled out.

How did I not know sooner? Why didn't she tell me? I'm feeling really torn up right now.

"Well if it makes you feel any better, I'm also a GUN agent."

That just makes it worse. A thief who works for the government? Not to mention our trust in GUN isn't exactly solid.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" I asked.

"Because my experience tells me that people tend to lose their trust in me when I mention it. I only tell people who really trust me. I was hoping you'd be one of them."

I gave Rouge a big hug. She was very surprised by this.

"Of course I still trust you. Who am I to judge someone's life? I just wish you told me sooner."

"Like I said, you're too nice for your own good."

"Madame Rouge, I hate to interrupt your heart felt moment but we have arrived." The driver announced.

We pulled up to a large building with flashing lights on the sign making it impossible to read.

"Here we are girls. Welcome to the biggest casino in all of Casinopolis, Nights Casino."

Like I said before, the entire building was lit up like a Christmas tree without a star. At the very top is a strange looking head with a jester hat spinning around.

"If we're going to have fun, we'll find it here."

Rouge grabbed our hands and dragged us to the casino. The inside was packed like a can of fat sardines with lights and tables everywhere. The Music boomed from the speakers so I could barely hear Rouge as she pointed out all her favorite machines and we grabbed some chips.

"What do you say we hit the roulette table first?" I could barely hear her.

"How do you play that?" I asked.

"I'll show you."

She dragged us over to a large table with a spinning wheel on one end and a bunch of markings on the other. The dealer running the table notices us from the crowd surrounding the table.

"Hello ladies! Would you like to roll?"

He pushed a little metal ball over to Patricia. To my surprise she showed her competence of the game by placing some chips on the flat end of the table and tossing the ball in the wheel on the other. The ball fell in the slot of the wheel bearing the same marking number as the mark on the spot she placed her chips.

"And we have a winner!" The dealer shouted while pushing more chips in front of her.

"I didn't know you gamble." Rouge commented.

Patricia explained that she would gamble with candy and toys with her friends and cousins when she was little. The roulette isn't her favorite, but is still enjoyable.

"It's your turn miss." The dealer handed me the ball. I tried to back off but Rouge persisted.

"Don't tell me you're afraid of a little game?" She asked.

"No it's just that I never really gambled before. I don't want to waste your money."

"Oh come on, the money is a gift from me. Just take the ball and place a bet."

With her encouragement, I took the ball and placed a few chips on a random slot and tossed the ball in the wheel. The ball went into a slot, but not mine.

"Oh too bad. Better luck next time little lady."

"Don't call me little lady!"

I grabbed the ball again and placed more chips on another slot. I tossed the ball into the wheel again and watched as it went into a slot matching one of my bets.

"Well what do you know, looks like you did have better luck this time. And here I thought it was just an expression."

He handed me more chips with a smile. The fact that I won something gave me a feeling, a good feeling. I felt kind of proud of myself for actually winning something against big odds. I like it.

"Not bad, but what do you say we play another game?" Rouge dragged us to another table with a dealer and a deck of cards.

"Hello girls, how about a game of blackjack?" The dealer said as he shuffled his deck.

"We'd love too." Rouge said as we sat down "You girls know how to play right?"

Patricia nodded her head while I shook mine. Rouge rolled her eyes at me.

"It's simple, the one closer to twenty-one out of all of us wins."

The dealer handed each of us two cards. I got five hearts and seven clubs.

"Hit me." The dealer gave Rouge a card. She repeated the command twice until she decided to stay, leaving her at twenty.

Patricia did the same but stopped when her count hit twenty-three.

"Well Ms. Hedgehog do you stay or not?" The dealer asked.

"Hit me." The dealer gave me eight diamond giving me a total of twenty just like Rouge.

"Ooh, I'm afraid if you don't beat your friend here, you lose." The dealer announced.

"Sorry speedy, better luck next time." Rouge taunted.

I admit this is a tricky situation but something inside of me doesn't want to lose. I feel like I just hate the idea of it.

"Hit me" I demanded.

"Are you sure? That's some very high stakes." The dealer warned.

"Hit me."

The dealer looked at Rouge who shrugged at him. He grabbed a card from a deck and tossed it at me. We all watched as the card landed upright in front of me.

"Ace of spades, we have a winner!" The dealer shouted.

I jumped up and down with excitement as the chips were pushed towards my end.

The entire time we've been in the casino was like this. We would play a game and when we won we'd get excited like little girls and when we got bored we move to the next game. This continued on and on until, sadly, we lost all our money.

We got a little depressed when we hit rock bottom but Rouge brought us back up with a surprise. She dragged us yet again around the casino and up the elevator. We covered our eyes when she asked and took us towards a room.

"Alright, you can open your eyes."

We opened our eyes to see that we've entered a small room with a small coffee table and a sofa on the opposite end of a karaoke machine.

"What is this?" I asked.

"Just a little getaway from our hard times. Complete with a karaoke machine and a phone call away from some drinks."

Patricia was the first to grab the microphone from the machine and look through its archive for a song. I couldn't tell what the title was but from I could translate, it's about a girl who likes to tease a boy because she knows he likes her. The very beginning spoke about how they were younger and that she would pick on him. The middle talked about how she would flirt with him. The end was about how he teased her and they ended up marrying. Her voice rang smoothly throughout the entire song and she never missed a beat as if she completely memorized the song. I can't help but wonder if she can connect to it with her life. The idea of little Patricia teasing big Diego seems funny to me. We clapped for her when she finished.

"That was beautiful Patricia." I commented.

"Gracias" She replied.

"Alright, now it's my turn." Rouge took the microphone and waited for her song to start.

She's...not the best singer in the world. She sang an old Overlander song where a woman is telling a man to "Put a ring on it". I've heard this song before and it's very good. But Rouge isn't giving it justice. We clapped awkwardly for her when the song finally ended.

"Well? How was I?" She asked.

Patricia and I looked at each other with worried faces.

"Ah who am I kidding, I was great!"

She sat down and pushed me towards the machine. I just stood there.

"Hurry up and sing already!" Rouge shouted.

Normally I'm a little nervous about singing in public, but I'm not in public. I'm in a small room with two people who I trust. I grabbed the archive and looked down the list until I saw it. An old Overlander song I fell in love with when I first heard it. It's a very sad song that I can connect with because it mirrors my life in a way. As I sang, Rouge and Patricia watched in amazement as I swayed my hips to the beat, but I ignored them. I was immersed into the song as I sang it. Memories of my past flashed before me in rhythm with the music. It's the kind of song that can really break you open from the inside like a butterfly trying to get out of its cocoon. I was so into the song, I barely noticed the attendant delivering our drinks. They clapped for me when I finished and I smiled back at them as thanks.

"That was great. I'm proud of you." Rouge raised her glass of strange blue liquid bubbling on the surface.

"Drinking again Rouge?"

"Oh come on, it's the best drink in all of Casinopolis. Besides, Patricia's drinking it too." She pointed at Patricia, who is indeed drinking it.

"That's because Patricia is old enough to drink it, you're not."

"Have you ever drank before?"

"No, not really."

"Tell you what, I want you to take a sip. If you don't like it, I'll stop drinking it." She gave me the drink with a smile.

I looked at the weird poison with disgust. How could anyone drink this stuff? Still, it's for my friend's health.

I took a big sip.

* * *

"Ow...my head."

I woke up exhausted and with a throbbing headache. I can't remember much after that drink and the lights are hurting my eyes. I looked around to see that I'm in the condo. At least I made it back safely, but wait a minute. I looked down at my hands and feet, which are tied up and chained to the leg of the table. My vest is nowhere to be seen and I smell fish.

I tried to break free but couldn't, so I dragged the desk with me to the kitchen. Inside I found Itchy working on what appears to be some kind of music box. I crawled towards him and yelled to grab his attention but he wouldn't respond.

With little to no energy, I had to do something drastic. I took a deep breath and let out a little pulse to give him a shove. I ended up overdoing it and slammed him into the counter.

I crawled over to him to make sure he's okay. He's asleep, probably for a while now.

"Wake up!" I shouted into his ear.

He woke with a jump and was startled to see me.

"Please tell me you're back to your old self again." He pleaded.

"What are you talking about? What happened?" I asked.

Seeing that I'm me again (Whatever that means) He untied me from the table and helped me up.

"Don't you remember anything?"

"No, not really." I twitched in pain when my head throbbed.

"Looks like you're having a hangover. Rouge said you might want these."

He pulled out a capsule of medicine and handed me a glass of water. I downed two pills and started feeling better after a while.

"So what happened last night?"

"You...weren't yourself. From what Rouge told me, you got drunk on something heavy and got you and the girls thrown out of some casino. You caused a lot of mayhem in town like defacing the big clock tower, giving some big wig a wedgie, you even punched a hole in a van! I don't even want to mention the tattoo."

"What tattoo?"

"Nothing. Rouge and Patricia finally got you home and dumped you on me and you got cranky. I had to reinforce the room because you kept trying to break out. Then you turned your attention to me and...Things got ugly. You kept trying to pick a fight, then you got all friendly, then angry again. I was only able to stop you by tying your legs up when you got all depressed. Then you started to...well I had to tie your hands up too.

I was horrified by this. I wanted to believe he's lying but he had a serious expression. He's not lying.

"What about my vest?"

"It's purple, you somehow made it purple and make it smell like fish. I had to put it in the wash, and then put the wash in a carwash."

He grabbed my vest from the other side of the kitchen and handed it to me. It's blue again, but still smelled a little funny.

"I had to go through things that no Mobian should ever have to encounter." He shivered in fear when he remembered everything that happened.

I gave him a pity hug. I don't exactly know what I did, but I feel bad for doing it.

I looked around. The strange music box grabbed my attention.

"What's that?" I asked.

"What's what?" He looked over to the box. "I have no idea."

I took a closer look and noticed a button on the side. I pressed it and watched as the music box opened up. Two plastic Mobians popped up and spun in a circle while happy music played. The platform they spun on changed color every now and then following the colors of a rainbow. When the song was ending, the figures turned towards me and bowed as they descended into the box again.

"Did you build this?" I asked.

"No, at least, I don't think so." He replied.

I looked around and noticed that a lot of utensils are missing or broken. Small ones that would fit in a music box.

"What did you call it again? Sleep fiddling?"

"Sleep tinkering, and I think you're right."

"It's beautiful. Why don't you build stuff like this more often?"

"Because I don't know how."

"But you just built it."

"Subconsciously, I built it. When I'm asleep, a part of me wakes up and tries to build things out of memory. Most of the time they end up in failure and other times they work, a little too well."

"You mean like the laser gun."

"It's a plasma gun, and yes like the plasma gun."

"I don't understand why you're so afraid of it. Someone who could build something like this is a genius, not a mad scientist."

"Yeah I know. Lately I've been trying to embrace it and give out in short bursts than to just hold it back. Maybe you should too."

"What do you mean?"

"I think that the Sonar from last night may have always existed, but the alcohol was the only way for her to come out."

"Still not following you."

"Don't you get it? You've always been a cautious person. You're always trying to make sure everything is alright with everyone around you and that you're not a burden. Last night might have been your attempt to vent out some kind of frustration or something. What do I know? I'm a mechanic, not a psychiatrist."

I gave Itchy another hug for trying.

"You know Itchy, you're a good guy, you just don't show it all that often."

We stood there for a bit. Itchy suddenly started to pet my head, or maybe trying to part my quills to see my scalp. I could see from the corner of my eye a worried expression on his face.

"What are you looking at?"

"Nothing."

* * *

It's finally here, the day of the wedding, and I'm so excited!

"Calm down Sonar, you're not the one getting married remember?" Rouge pointed to Patricia who is currently getting a few last minute touch ups on her dress. She's as stiff as a board.

I tried to calm her down when Itchy walked into the room.

"Itchy! Get out of here!" I shouted.

"Sorry! I just wanted to know if any of you know when the cake's going to arrive." He asked as he covered his eyes despite all of us fully dressed.

"The cake should be on the way. Just make sure the wedding's all set up." Rouge ordered.

Itchy left quietly, Patricia shook like a sardine on shark week.

I told Patricia that everything will be okay, that this should be the happiest day of her life. She told me that she's worried something might go wrong. It's an understandable fear, I'm sure plenty of brides are worried on their wedding day. I said nothing and gave her a hug. I always felt that a hug can always calm someone down, especially if it's from someone you trust. It worked like a charm.

I'm currently standing next to the alter where the bridesmaids should stand along with other bridesmaids and the groom. While I don't know any of the other bridesmaids, being friends and family of Patricia, I feel as though they are my friends too. I looked at Rouge waiting behind the alter in a white gown. She caught me looking and gave me a wink. I looked over towards the other side of casino where Itchy is standing and looking at a clock impatiently. He actually cleaned up very well and is wearing a normal tuxedo. I can't help but notice the brown patches on his neck as he looked at me while tapping his wrist as if he was tapping a watch. I shrugged at him but he has a point. Where is the bride? I can see the families of the couple looking at each other in worry as well.

Finally, she appeared. Patricia was being walked down the aisle by her father, a short cat with a twisted tail. The pianist played as the flower girl skipped down the aisle and dropping petals with the bride behind her. I smiled at her when she reached the aisle and she smiled back. Rouge started the ceremony.

Naturally the vows and such must be done in Spanish which Rouge worked hard to memorize, but the formula's still the same. Do you take the bride/groom to be your groom/bride in sickness and in health and so on and so forth.

"Acepto." They answered.

They then read their vows. They were very touching, especially the part where Patricia promised to mend Diego's wounds after every fight.

"Puedes besar a la novia." Rouge announced.

The bells rang when their lips touched and we all cheered. I jumped for joy as the wedding came to a perfect end.

During the after party, I found Itchy in the corner minding his own business. I came over to him and congratulated him on a job well done.

"Thanks, but I just put it together. It was all Rouge's idea." He admitted.

"Well it's still amazing. The bells rang beautifully."

"And the cake."

"The music is amazing."

"And the cake."

"And the food is delicious."

"Have you tried the cake?"

I looked around to find the cake, but I can't find it."

"That's because there is no cake. I asked you earlier."

"I know you did, but I have no idea where it is either."

"I know where it is." Rouge walked up to us with a phone in her hands "Apparently there's been a mix up. The bakery still has the cake and they're making a big fuss about delivering it. That's where you come in speedy."

She handed me a piece of paper with a number on it. It's the receipt for the pre-ordered cake.

"They won't hand over the cake without proof of purchase. Show it to them and grab the cake. Think you can do that?"

I looked over at Patricia who's having a good time with her family. I don't think she's noticed the missing cake.

"You can count on me." I answered.

I ran out of the casino as fast as I can and headed towards the bakery. I found it in the middle of town swarming with customers. There are two lines that lead into the store. One long, slow line for customers ordering a cake, and much shorter and faster one for those who pre-ordered. It only took me a few minutes to reach the front of the line.

"Excuse me" I said "I'm here to pick up a cake."

I handed the receipt to the chicken at the counter.

"Sorry Mam, but we were ordered to hold onto this cake."

"Yes I know, and now I'm here to pick it up."

"No, you don't understand. Someone told us to keep this cake until they gave us permission to release it. Something about health issues."

"What? Who told you that?"

"Why, a very concerned health fanatic of course."

I turned to see the source of the voice. The crowd split and watched in awe as the owner of the voice walked between them and entered the bakery.

If you haven't realized it yet, it's Morgul.

"From what I can tell, this cake is as healthy as a cake can get. I apologize for this inconvenience." He handed the chicken a large wad of cash.

"Not at all Mr. Morgul. I thank you for your concern."

Morgul looked at me with a serious expression.

"Why don't we deliver the cake with my car?" He asked.

"Sure...why not." I don't exactly like Morgul considering what I've heard about him, but right now we need him on our side so these meetings we have can be considered a two edged sword.

I stepped into Morgul's car with caution while two of his goons grabbed the cake and put it in the back. I was forced to sit next to it while Morgul sat on the opposite end while the goons sat at the front.

We drove for a bit until Morgul spoke.

"Let me make one thing clear. I only saved the rat with wings because at the moment, you and your friends are causing this NEXGEN group to reveal themselves. I didn't want you to give up simply because one of you died.

"Thank you." I muttered.

"This group is getting very nervous. Their spokesman continues to make excuses to avoid speaking with me, and I hate when secrets are kept from me.

"If I may, why do you only talk to me?" I asked.

"Because you are the one I despise the least. I want nothing to do with that rat and I don't talk to street trash. So far you are the only one who has not given me a reason to hate you...for now."

This brought a little relief. For now, Morgul sees me as a friend, but it's still Morgul though so it's not all that calming.

"So what did you want to talk about?" I asked.

"I came to simply remind you of our deal. The children are still in my care and you seem to be holding up your part of the bargain but don't think I will help you again. This group is on the move again, my sight on them is failing. I fear an attack will be their next move. I suggest you lay low for a while until they reveal themselves. Do not call the other freedom fighters or else they may do something drastic."

We were finally pulling up to the casino. We slowed down and parked in the alley behind the building. I grabbed the cake and opened the door.

"One more thing" Morgul stopped me "I was told the last surviving member of the Featherworth family was a boy. I apologize for bringing up a touchy subject but will you please explain this false information?"

I froze. Featherworth is Itchy's last name. How does he know about Itchy and his family? I shrugged at him.

"Hmm. nether the less, I hope that when this is over, we may discuss business together. I heard your father's ideas and success, and I hope you are the same."

He drove off into the streets and I let out a huge sigh. I walked into the casino to see the party still going on.

"Sonar! You're just in time!" Itchy limped towards me "We're just about ready to cut the cake. Where've you been?"

"I ran into an old friend." I said.

Old is right. Friend...not so much.

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	17. Chapter 17: Round 3?

How about an Adventure? Ch.17: Round 3...?

"Damn faucet's messing up again!" Ernie shouted.

I rushed down to the casino and nearly slipped on the large puddle coming from the bar. I looked over to see Ernie trying to clog the leaky pipes with a rag.

"What happened?" I asked.

"Something popped out of the pipes and it's making a mess!" He shouted.

I looked at the pipes to see that the leak is coming from a rusty, cracked pipe. The rust must've finally gave way and a piece of the pipe broke off.

"There's no way I can fix this. I have to replace the pipe with a new one. Is there any extras lying around?"

"Why would we have extra pipes just lying around?"

"I see. I guess that means I have to go to the store and buy some. I better hurry before my fight starts."

I walked out the back of the casino and opened the Scumbucket's trailer to access the bike. Before I hopped on, I realized I didn't have my wallet on me. I closed the trailer and unlocked the Scumbucket and started looking for my wallet.

"Where are you, you pesky little patch of leather?" I muttered.

I found my wallet in the glove compartment and found about a hundred bucks and the rings I won from the first round now absorbed into one shiny ring. I climbed out of the Scumbucket.

"Don't move." I heard a gun cock behind me.

I turned slightly to see the gunman. He's a white Rhino in a tuxedo with a double barreled shotgun aimed at my head. If he was NEXGEN he would've blown my brains out and burned down the building, but still he must be bad news.

I looked back at the glove compartment where I could see the top of the plasma gun. It's tempting, but I don't think I could get it in time before he shoots me.

"Now get back in the truck, nice and slowly."

I climbed back in the driver's seat and put on my seatbelt.

I heard yet another gun cock from my right.

"Good. Now turn it on." The other gunman said.

To my surprise, it's someone I kinda know. Morgul climbed into the passenger seat with an old revolver in his hand.

"And don't try to deviate from our orders. I detest using guns as it hurts my ears, and brains are very hard to get out of a suit."

I turned the Scumbucket on and put it in reverse. From the side mirror, I watched the rhino climb into the passenger side of a black car behind us with a goat driving the car out of the alley. I followed them out.

I followed the car for a few minutes down the road. I looked back at the plasma gun, then at Morgul who still has his gun on me.

"Don't even consider shooting me with that toy of yours."

How did he know what I was planning to do? Can he read my mind?

"No, I can't read your mind, but your eye movement makes it obvious. Now I have a few questions for you James. I hope this won't sour your opinion of me."

Oh please. My opinion of him is already so sour, it would make a lemon pucker.

"Now, we're just going for a drive around town is all. You were planning to go somewhere weren't you?"

"I was going to buy some pipes for a leaky faucet. Later I have my match."

"Then this shouldn't take long. You know of our good friends who go by NEXGEN correct?"

Know them? I got a bullet wound, a few scars, and a few burns thanks to them. I guess you can say we're good friends. I nodded my head.

"Good. I'm sure your friend Ms. Sonar has told you of our encounters and such. Ever since you and your friends grew in the public's eye, they've been keeping an eye on you. Normally they only pay attention to your hedgehog friend, but lately they've had their eye on you. I've heard plenty from our dear friend, now I want to hear your side of the story."

"I assure you, whatever's happening with those guys, I have nothing to do with. I'm just a hired fighter trying to keep his stomach full." I'm lying of course, but he doesn't know that...I think.

"Oh really?"

He pulled out a few pictures. Some are of me, and others are of...me.

"It seems to me that they have their eyes on not only you, but another hedgehog. One that they assumed is dead."

I took a closer look at the pictures. The more recent ones are from the last two rounds. One was of me when I got cut up thanks to Diego. That one is zoomed in on my back where the large tear is, specifically the exposed fur. The older ones are of the real me. They all have "ELIMINATED" printed on them with big, bold letters.

"Is he a brother of yours?" He asked.

"Where did you get these?"

"Mr. Beak has a bad habit of leaving his things unguarded. He had a suitcase full of them. Now then."

Suddenly Morgul grabbed my head and tilted it to my left. I know from there he could see the large patches of brown fur on my neck.

"Who are you really?" He asked as we stopped at a red light.

I started to panic a bit. If I don't tell him the truth, who knows what he'll do to me. But if he finds out who I really am, he's gonna...gonna...do what exactly?

I'm panicking over nothing! Technically, I'm not a real freedom fighter. I really am a hired mercenary right now, being used to win the tournament and get closer to NEXGEN. Morgul already knows the whole story, he just doesn't know my motive and my name. Besides, we're trying to get him to trust us. Maybe he'll even tell me where my brother is.

"Alright Morgul, you got me. I'm not actually James Slugcannon the fighter. I'm actually Itchy, the mechanic."

"A mechanic? Why would they hire a mechanic?"

"Well to be fair, I was kinda dragged into it. I have my own reason for fighting too."

"And that would be...?"

"Simple, you have my little brother."

"I see. Tell me boy, where exactly did they drag you from?"

"Robotropolis. I used to live there until our "friends" burned my apartment down."

"So they tried to dispose of you. Why would they bother with that?"

"Cuz I'm after them of course."

"Your shallow answers are beginning to annoy me. Why are you after them?"

"I already told you. You have my little brother." I repeated as the light turned green.

"I beg your pard*CRASH*"

Out of nowhere, the black car with the goons was suddenly rammed into a building by a large, gray hummer.

"HOLY CRAP!" I shouted.

"Oh dear. And we had two more payments on it too." Morgul muttered, much to my disgust.

The driver tried to climb out of the car's window. He nearly escaped, but his life was cut short by the hands of a sawed off shotgun wielded by a Mobian wearing very familiar looking armor with red decals. Many more climbed out the hummer and aimed their rifles at us.

"It seems our friends have grown impatient." Said Morgul.

"You're saying they're here to kill me? In broad daylight?"

"No, I don't think they are here for you. They went after my men first. They wouldn't have done that if they didn't know I was here."

"So they're here for you? Don't they need you?"

"I don't think they're here to kill me. More like...escort me to a place where they can keep an eye on me and I'm out of the way. The same may not apply to you though."

"But in broad daylight?! For a major city, these guys can get away with a lot while in public. Where are the police?"

"Stupid boy." Morgul's hand started to glow "Why bother with law enforcement when you have me."

Morgul waved his hand towards the troops. He smiled with the success of whatever he was trying to do. That smile disappeared when the commander tapped on his helmet and gave us the bird.

"This can't be! How is this possible?"

"Doesn't seem like your mind tricks work on them. They must've adapted the helmets to counteract mind control."

"Well that's a shame. Now we have to do this the hard way"

Suddenly, Morgul opened fire on the captain. While his troops were distracted, I slammed the gas and ran the ones not quick enough to dodge over.

"Well, that was surprisingly simple." Morgul commented.

"They're not the brightest soldiers, but that doesn't mean its over. They're bound to send more."

I flinched as my window was shot open. Looking out the busted window, I see the captain still alive and hanging on to the side of the Scumbucket while trying to get a good shot at me.

I did what any Mobian with common sense would do. I grabbed the shotgun from the Captain and then proceeded to bash him with the door until he finally let go. What? You wouldn't have done the same?

My next opponent is the Hummer from earlier being driven by the few surviving grunts that didn't get run over. They pointed their guns at us with every intention to kill. I calmly grabbed the plasma blaster and shot the hummer making it disintegrate into nothing. The grunts fell and skidded on the road at high speeds and much bone breaking can be heard.

"Can you believe that I actually saw these guys as a threat?" I asked.

"You can't get good help these days." Morgul complained.

Before we could get any deeper in the topic of decent henchmen, we were ambushed by three more trucks. Each filled with trigger happy grunts.

"Would you be so kind as to blast these fools as well?"

"Can't, the blaster needs to recharge."

"Well then, get rid of them!"

I rammed the truck to my left into the buildings until it was stopped abruptly by an entrance to the subway. The one on our left tried to do the same maneuver, crashing into us and pinning us to the wall. Morgul causally reached through his now shattered window into their shattered window and flicked the helmet off the driver. With a wave of his hand, the grunt's eyes started to glow. The driver drove off us and back onto the street while slowing down until we could no longer see them through the window. From the side view mirror however, I watched as a bright light flashed from the truck followed by the sound of gunshots. The last flash resulted in the truck driving out of control and flipping over.

"Such worthless trash, this is hardly intimidating let alone entertaining." Morgul commented as I reentered the road.

Then the third truck hit us from behind and drove at max speed. He pushed and pushed and I had no way of shaking him off. Then it dawned on me as to what they are trying to do. Up ahead is a T intersection that leads into a building. They're planning on squishing us like an accordion.

"Don't just sit there! Do something!"

Thinking quickly, I pulled an emergency release lever to eject the trailer from the engine. Now free of the trailer, I made a hard right and swerved away from the attacker and spun out until we came to a full stop. We watched as the truck and my trailer drove headfirst into the building leading up to a giant fireball thanks to certain things I had in the trailer that may or may not be normally available to the general public.

Morgul and I climbed out of the Scumbucket to get a better look at the carnage we left behind.

"This is one of those days when I wished I just stayed in bed." I muttered.

"I agree, it's not exactly the finest morning. Still, it was interesting. Oh dear, it seems you are going to be late for your roughhousing." Morgul showed me his pocket watch. I only have about a half an hour left till the next match.

"Damn! If I don't get there on time, I'll be disqualified!"

"It seems you have other issues to attend to." Morgul pointed over my head with his trunk.

I turned to see, to my horror, a chinook helicopter heading towards us from a distance.

"It seems they're bringing in the big toys now." Morgul joked.

Enough was enough. I reached into the Scumbucket and pulled out both the plasma blaster and the sawed off shotgun which, upon closer inspection, has a satchel on the side carrying at least four more bullets.

"And just what are planning on doing?" Morgul asked.

"These guys want a fight? I'll give them a fight. Take the truck and drive back to safety."

"And who are you to give me orders?"

"I'm the guy sticking his neck out to save you and your whole damn city because you weren't smart enough to just kick the bastards out!" I shouted at him.

He didn't get angry. He just stood there, looking at me.

"I'll be with the rat with wings in her excuse of an establishment. I leave you in charge of disposing of these nuisances. Do not fail me, or you will suffer a fate worse than death if you come back alive." Morgul climbed into the Scumbucket and drove away quickly.

I put the guns in my pockets and headed into the wreckage. Just as I expected, the bike was sturdy enough to survive the blast.

The helicopter opened fire on the wreckage hoping to flush me out. When I didn't come out, they fired a missile at it. I panicked and drove out of the wreckage on the bike and watched the wreckage blow up into nothing.

Morgul took the right path at the T intersection away from the helicopter, so I went left and drove under it, buying me time as the helicopter had to turn around.

I drove about fifteen miles dodging bullets and the occasional missile left and right while trying to shake off the helicopter but it never seems to lose sight of me. Normally I would just blast it with the plasma blaster and get it over with, but I'm not a good shot when it comes to aiming at a moving helicopter behind me while driving a motorcycle and dodging bullets. I drove right into an alleyway and activated the spikes to drive up the wall and reach the rooftops. The helicopter rose and followed me while continuing to fire. With the spikes still on, I drove off the edge of the building and climbed down the wall at an angle. Before I could reach the streets the chopper came around and continued firing, forcing me to return to the middle of the wall and jump from building wall to building wall, the effects of which have caused me to become a little motion sick and almost obliterating my sense of balance. I had to climb back onto the rooftop of a building to regain my senses and ease my stomach.

The helicopter revealed itself on the other end of the building with its side facing me. The side opened up to reveal another grunt operating a mounted mini gun which started to rev up very loudly. Now that it's stationary, I could just blast it with the plasma blaster, but it hasn't fully charged yet and would only release a small, close ranged burst. I would have to be right next to it to blast it.

The bullets began to rain down and the gunner began to turn the gun towards me. In the split second between now and when it reaches me, I started to think. I could drive up to it and jump towards the helicopter, but even if I managed to survive the bullet barrage, the helicopter is too far away for me to reach it.

I realized that the odds are stacked against me, so I asked myself "What would Sonar do?" From all the stories she told me during our stay here, she always seems to be in unescapable situations where she's bound to die. Yet in the end of each one she always does something irrational and well beyond common sense. Obviously she lived to tell the tale. If Sonar was in this situation, she would've taken a shot in the dark and go for it. Though to be fair, she'd probably have gotten rid of it the moment it showed up but my point still stands.

I decided to take her lead. I hit the gas and charged at the helicopter at max speed and swerved to evade the bullets. Knowing what I'm about to do, the pilot moved the helicopter away from me as fast as I could while still keeping heavy fire on me. Halfway through the roof I reached into my back pocket and the ring from my wallet and shoved half of its charge into the dashboard of the bike. In an instant, I was going far beyond the max speed of the bike nearly reaching the speed of sound. At the edge of the roof, I jumped the bike straight towards the helicopter leading to a head on collision.

Things seemed to slow down while I was in the air. I could see the individual blades spinning on the helicopter as well as the barrels of the mini gun and the recoil pushing the arms back on the gunman. Just before I reached the helicopter, I grabbed the blaster from my pocket and aimed it upward. I went through the opening of the chopper, tackling the gunman and the gun clean off. When I was directly in the middle of the helicopter, I fired the blaster and continued to fly out. I looked back and watched the entire vehicle disappear from existence and the pilot fell to his quick and painful demise.

I managed to reach across the street onto another rooftop where I landed somewhat safely. I got off the bike and looked over the edge of the building to see the dead pilot on the street. I hate to say it, but I'd say I'm a bit...satisfied with my work. I walked back towards the motorcycle, it's a good thing I'm a slow walker. Just before I could reach it, a small metal ball was thrown at me with a loud beeping noise. Realizing what it was, I jumped back as far as I could as both the bomb, and the bike, was blown to bits.

The grunt on the gun was barely standing on the other end of the rooftop. It's very obvious his leg is broken, but he chooses to stand up and try to finish the job.

He clumsily pulled out a pistol but I was too quick for him as I shot it out of his hand with the second shot of the shotgun and having it fall off the roof. Not wasting a minute, he pulled out a knife and charged at me while screaming like a maniac. I responded by reloading the shotgun with two more bullets and shooting him square in the chest. He fell flat on his back with both shots embedded into his chest.

Being cautious because these guys are known for never giving up, I reloaded the shotgun and carefully inched towards the corpse. I looked at the bullet wounds very closely and noticed something...there's no blood. If anything, it doesn't even seem like the bullets even pierced the armor. I don't think this guy's even hurt. I'd say he's probably...I jumped out of the way from his wild swing with his knife but was not quick enough to fully dodge the attack as he thrusted the knife into my leg.

I fell over as the pain screamed in my leg and my blood oozed from the wound. The grunt took the opportunity to get up and grab me by my neck and strangle me. I struggled with him as I tried to pull him off me, but he's a lot stronger than me. I panicked and did something I've never done before.

I spun.

When I recollected myself, the grunt was nearly thrown off the roof and I could barely get up due to the pain in my both my spine and my abdomen. I cannot spin like that, in fact I shouldn't be able too. I'm far too mutated to be able too, every doctor I've seen has said so. Perhaps they were wrong. Maybe I do have the muscles to do so, they just aren't fully developed. Either way it still hurt like hell.

The grunt and I recollected ourselves and I pulled the knife out of my leg. We charged at each other and yelled our blood curdling cries. Just as he reached me, I ducked down and slid between his legs while simultaneously stabbing him in the groin. As he cringed in pain I turned around and shot him point blank in the head, expecting him to fall over without getting a head in life. He didn't, rather he got back up and seemed surprise when he noticed that the only damage he got was his helmet getting shot off, revealing himself to be a weasel.

The grunt painfully pulled the knife out of his family jewels and turned to me with anger in his eyes and a bloody knife in his hand. I took a few steps back while he panted in rage. Without thinking, he rushed at me with the knife and every intent to kill. I had to think fast before he reached me. Right now I have an uncharged plasma gun that's as useful as a toy gun and a shotgun with no shots so I need to find a way to stop him before…oh wait, I have still have one more shot left.

*BANG*

Finally the grunt fell over dead. How do I know he's dead? Remember that joke I made earlier? It's now valid.

* * *

I walked down the street for about an hour with a wounded leg. With the bike gone and Morgul took the Scumbucket back to the Casino, I had no choice but to walk all the way back home. Before I forget about it, I grabbed a pipe from a store on the way and received a lot of funny looks from onlookers. Who can blame them? I'm all beat up and bleeding like a fountain. At least the day's finally over and I can't wait to go back to bed. Though, I can't help but feel like I'm forgetting something. Then it hit me…literally.

"It's about time you showed up! Get ready!" He shouted just before running off.

I don't really know what to say about this. It's not every day I bump into myself. Let me be more specific. I just bumped into someone that looked exactly like me. The same clothes, same color, same hairstyle, even the same voice. I looked towards the direction the doppelgänger ran off to. I would've stood there all day pondering about what I just saw, but I have other issues at the moment.

"JAMESSSS BRISSSSTOL, YOU'RE MINE!"

I was suddenly grabbed from behind and thrown to a nearby wall with a loud thud. Then I was grabbed again and slammed around like a doll being held by a very violent child throwing a tantrum. Before I could recollect the first five seconds of all that, I found myself on the floor being tied up by a snakes tail. The snake itself loomed over me with venom pouring from its mouth.

The snake is a purple cobra and wearing large leather gloves and some thick pants…pant…it's a piece of fabric wrapped around her waist with pockets and a belt. The snake is obviously female because I can clearly see her…chest in the open with her torn up baggy shirt.

"Hey I know you! Zazu right?"

"It'ssss Zaza!" She yelled as she pounded me into the ground about five more times.

"Take it easy, you psychopath! I barely even know you!"

"But I know you all too well, Jamessss Brisssstol!"

"It's Slugcannon."

"Enough lying! You would dare show yoursssself with only a fake lasssst name!? You musssst have a have a death wish. Allow me to grant it!"

She lunged at me with her fangs and I barely stopped her with a free leg. I looked around for any help, but no one is around.

"You know what? Screw this! I have had enough for one day! F**K YOU!"

I rammed my foot into her mouth and scrapped my claw through her tongue leaving behind a deep, and poisoned gash. While she screamed in pain, she loosened her grip and I slipped out of there. I walked over to her and tapped her on the shoulder as she mended to her tongue. I was the last thing she saw before I beat her across the head with the pipe. Over and over again I bashed her head with the pipe until she finally fell where I did a swift kick to ensure that she was truly down. I checked her pulse to make sure I didn't overdo it.

"Dear god, is he…she?"

I looked over to see the announcer out of breath, as if he's been running for some time.

"No, she's alive."

"Thank goodness. After everything that has happened we don't want a death on live television to end this crazy day."

"Tell me about it. What's going to happen to her?"

"Well, she'll be taken to a hospital to care for her wounds. Why do you ask?"

"Well, she tried to kill me."

"True, but it was part of the tournament and you did win."

"Wait, this was part of the tournament? She was my opponent!?"

"Yes…why do you ask?"

"Because... I thought females weren't allowed in the tournament!"

"Yes, they aren't. Don't you remember?"

"No."

"She banged you up pretty hard huh?"

"Well, yeah. Hey, do you know anyone named James Bristol?"

"No. Why?"

"Let's just say I feel sorry for that guy when she gets out of the hospital."

"Right. Before I forget, here's your prized."

He handed me a check for about a two million dollars. I think I'll be keeping this prize for myself.

"Alright, I think I'll go home now."

"Yeah you do that. I'll tell everyone you won."

* * *

I finally got back to the Casino. Ernie is still messing with the broken pipe and the entire floor is one huge puddle.

"It's about time you got back! Where's the pipe?!"  
I tossed the pipe at him.

"Dear lord! What, did you hit a guy with a head with it?" He commented when he saw the bent pipe with blood on it.

"You could say that. I'm going to take a bath."

"It's about time you showed. I've been having to talk to that bat since you've been gone. Did you get rid of those ruffians?" Morgul asked as he walked up to me.

"You could say that. I'm going to take a bath." I repeated.

I walked up the stairs to the condo. I'm glad today's finally over. It's just been one day of nonstop chaos and crazy. At least I can finally take a long, calming bath.

"AHHH! Get out, get out, get out!" He…I…someone screamed and tossed a shirt at me while I backed up and out of the bathroom.

Yup, it's the doppelganger again. This time he's in the bathroom.

I jumped into bed and went to sleep.

I just want this day to end.


	18. Chapter 18: Round 3, The switch

How About an Adventure?: Ch. 3, The switch

I slowly woke up when I felt the floor vibrate with steps from our brave fighter. I looked

over to see Itchy downing the last bite of a sandwich and approaching the door.

"Good luck." I said while yawning.

He looked back at me and gave me a thumbs up. I wished I could say more, but I'm so tired

I could barely get up before sleep came over me again and I was lulled back into my

Dreams.

I eventually had the energy to get out of my comfortable trap and headed into the kitchen.

To my surprise I found a large plate of pancakes and eggs with a side of bacon waiting at

The table just begging to be eaten. I dashed to the chair after I grabbed a fork and

preyed on the breakfast like a wild cat. I started with the eggs and took a large bite but

had to spit it out because it was cold, as if it's been sitting here for some time.

"It's about time you woke up." I looked over to the door to see Rouge already dressed and

wide awake. Not at all like she is in the mornings in her dress robes and cranky.

I picked up my plate and headed over to the microwave to look at the time and heat my

food.

"One o'clock? Why didn't anyone wake me up?"

"You looked cute while you were asleep. I didn't want to bother you." Rouge flirted.

"The fight's going to start in half an hour. Did Itchy make it on time?"

The microwave finished heating my food. Without even attempting to make it to the table, I

took a bite out of the pancakes. Chocolate chip pancakes with peanut butter. A very

strange combination, but still very delicious. I've no doubt Itchy made these.

"I was about to ask you the same thing. Ernie texted me and said he went to the store but

he never came back. His truck's missing too."

I finished my plate and smiled at how delicious every bit of it was. I can't thank Itchy

enough for this amazing food.

"That's weird. Why would he take the truck? Well, I'm sure he realized he was running late

and went straight to the match."

"He better have. We're getting very close to figuring out what those monsters are up too.

I don't want to have to give up just because he was running late."

"I know. I also know that Itchy would never let us down." I think.

"He better. Come on, Ernie said he needs some help with the faucet."

After washing my plate, we headed downstairs where I witnessed first hand the rare

occasion of Rouge slipping and falling on her back.

"What the heck is going on here!?" Rouge shouted while getting up.

"The pipes are busted and sprung a leak. Itchy went to the store to buy some but he's

still not back yet." Tyler tiptoed to us as he explained.

A majority of the employees are working on cleaning up the mess as fast as they could

before it spreads too far. Ernie's trying to clog up the broken pipe with paper towels.

"That kid better get back here with that pipe soon or else the whole place is going to get

flooded. He better not have forgotten about it!" Ernie snarled.

"Come on Ernie, it's Itchy we're talking about here. There's no way he would forget about

it. I'm sure he just had trouble finding the right pipe and will get back as soon as

possible." I assured.

"Not unless he's kept busy by a bunch of trigger happy hooligans."

We all turned to the entrance to see a familiar Mammoth carefully walk towards us. I hid

behind Rouge as he approached. It's not that I'm scared but...he gives me the creeps.

"Morgul." Rouge said.

"Flying rat." Morgul responded.

I looked beyond Morgul to see Itchy's truck, but no Itchy.

"Where's our friend?" I asked.

"Do you mean James? Or was it Itchy?" I was shocked when he said his real name. How did he

found out? He must've done something to Itchy.

"Either way, I detest saying it but your friend may very well be the reason I am alive."

"What do you mean? What happened!?" I demanded.

"You mean you don't know?" Morgul looked around the bar and found a television on the

counter.

He flipped it on and tuned into the news channel where I saw an entire street filled with

carnage and destruction.

"In other news, there's no word yet on the recent attack earlier today at downtown

Casinopolis. Many roads have been blocked off and Mobians were evacuated from the area.

There have been reports of a military grade helicopter flying around the area, but there

has been no further information on the subject."

"I got a good guess on what happened." Rouge commented.

"Indeed. It seems our friend has directed their attention towards me and tried to take me

hostage. Your friend led them away so that I may escape."

I looked at the TV to see the destruction one more time. The camera began to zoom in on a

large pile of flaming debris. It's the trailer for the truck. I hope he's okay.

"If anyone's going to survive this attack, it's fuzzball. He'll complain about it, but he

won't give up." Rouge assured me.

"I hope you speak the truth. But now it seems you have another problem." Morgul pulled out

a pocket watch and showed us the time "It seems you only have less than half an hour till

the next match. If he doesn't show, he will be disqualified."

"Well that's no good. I don't think even fuzzball could deal with it fast enough." Rouge

cautioned.

"If Itchy is disqualified, then we'll lose our chance to get close to NEXGEN. How is he

going to win a match he can't get to?" I asked.

We stood there and started to think while Morgul quenched his thirst. I started to think

so hard that I began to scratch my chin. A trait that I noticed Itchy has and am now

starting to gain as well. Rouge noticed this as I stopped myself from making the trait

permanent.

"I think I have an idea."

* * *

Twenty seven cans of temporary, orange hair color spray cans later, I was finally able to

open my eyes and looked down at my body. My fur has been tinted orange from the tip of my

ears to the bottom of my toes pressed firmly on the plastic tarp. I looked in the mirror

to see my orange face and Rouge styling my hair into something more rugged.

"I'm not so sure about this plan. What if I blow it?" I asked.

"Trust me, you won't. Now I need you to be careful. This stuff only last's for a few hours

and comes off easily so the fight has to be quick." Rouge warned.

"I'm all about quick remember?" I said before Rouge stuffed a piece of cloth in my mouth.

"I'm sure you are. Now close your eyes and think happy thoughts."

Rouge grabbed a pair of tweezers and motioned for me to close my eyes. I screamed in pain

and bit down on the cloth as hard as I could when I felt like two large pieces of skin

were pulled off my forehead.

"There we are. I can barely tell the difference."

I opened my eyes and let out some painful tears to see Rouge holding up some patches of

small hairs. I looked in the mirror to confirm that she just pulled out my eyelashes. The

transformation is almost complete, except for one important detail, well two of them

anyway.

"Looks like we still need to hide the fun bags too. Shouldn't be that hard."

I probably would've slapped Rouge for the insult had I not been paralyzed when she

suddenly groped me for emphasize.

"I think I have just the thing. Eat these.I'll be right back." Rouge handed joke bubble

gum and headed into her closet while I observed my self in the mirror.

I did pose after pose in the mirror, ones that Itchy would've probably done. I scratched

my chin and crossed my arms, and the more I looked in the mirror, the more impressed I was

at the illusion. I started making frowns and bored faces when I noticed the pile of

clothes on the couch. It's Itchy's old disguise before he started molting.

I picked up the clothes and gave them a better look. They seem a little big, I don't think

they'll fit. I took a look at the pants and noticed a few feathers clinging to the inner

backside. I pulled out the biggest one I saw and examined the large feather. It's much

bigger than the one I got from him back at the pier. He took away the last one and threw

it in the trash. I guess this would make a good replacement.

"I'm back." Rouge came out of the closet with a large roll of white wrap in her arms.

Before I could say anything, she ran around me in a circle while wrapping my chest up

way through the roll, I had trouble breathing, and when she was done, I could

barely speak.

"That should do it. Nice and flat." Rouge admired her work.

I was forced to take shallow breaths and tried to tell her about my problem. When she

realized her mistake, she tore open a few layers and I was allowed air again.

"Sorry. The only one I had was in my size."

After gaining my breath, I looked in the mirror to admire the bandages doing their job. I

look just like Itchy's disguise...only with curvier hips and a few inches shorter but that

shouldn't be a problem.

I headed back to the outfit and tried it on. Just as I feared, the outfit was a few sizes

too big.

"Maybe we should give Jacque a call?" I asked after I remember his latest seller.

"She already did." I turned to see Jacque at the door with a smile "Yes, the disguise is

nearly foolproof. All you need now is the wardrobe."

Jacque moved aside to reveal a small crate and brought it to the couch. I opened it to

find the exact outfit in my size...except it's a little off.

"What are these?" I asked as I lifted up a green shirt with an advertisement that really

stands out on the back complete with the product name (Fighter James).

"Did I not tell you? Your fighter, he does not sell well. He's not a fan favorite. I have

to get sponsors to make up for lost profit."

"Jacque, we can't use these. They kinda don't work well with the disguise."

"I know darling. That's why I brought these." He pulled out a small bag filled with the

original design.

"Jacque, if you had these and knew we wanted them and not the ones in the crate, why

didn't you just give us the ones we wanted first?"

"They were just taking up space. No backsies."

/

I was once again on the familiar limo, only this time, I sat alone. I looked at my

reflection on the TV and gazed at the foreign object in my mouth. Just before I left,

Rouge handed some kind of white mouth guard and told me to ask the driver for help.

I tapped on the driver window and he rolled it down.

"Hey, where were you when Rouge went missing anyway?"

"Hiding. Just as she ordered."

I couldn't help but get upset at this. If he had simply come back and find us, we could

have saved Rouge a lot earlier than we did.

"Right. What do you know about this?" I asked as I pointed at the guard in my mouth.

"Ah, the voice manipulator. It allows you change your voice to that of another assuming

you have their voice on hand."

He held out his hand and demanded for the voice manipulator. After giving it to him, he

pressed a few buttons on the dashboard and revealed a small computer. He searched through

the computer and clicked on a file. The audio of our very my very first ride in the limo

began to play, specifically when Itchy wished he would get sick to avoid the tournament.

Over and over did the audio play and he plugged in the manipulator. When he was done, he

handed it back to me.

"Put it back into your mouth." He ordered and I followed.

"So how do I know when it's working?" I placed my hand over my mouth when I heard a voice

not belonging to me come from my throat.

I was amazed to hear Itchy's voice as my own. I began a conversation to give it a try. Of

course just sounding and looking like him won't be enough to complete the illusion. As we

spoke, I tried to speak and act how I think Itchy would react such as frowning, using big

words, even swearing every now and then. The driver says that I'm doing a good job.

"Now if you excuse me, we have to make a little stop." He started to pull over.

"Why are we stopping?" I asked.

"We're going to have a surprise test." He said.

Suddenly, the door opened and revealed our good friend Anita. She seemed a little confuse.

"Itchy? Is that you?"

"Who else could it be?" I asked with my best attempt at being Itchy.

"Oh thank goodness!" She charged in and gave me a hug "I was so worried! I thought you

were in trouble when I saw your trailer!"

I tapped her on the head and she backed off. She straightened out her outfit and cleared

her throat, pretending like the hug never happened.

"right, sorry about that." She apologized.

"Anita, what are you doing all the way over here? Shouldn't you be at the tournament?"

Anita seemed a little sad, and then very angry.

"My stupid boss kicked me off the story! He said that I wasn't getting enough juicy

information and gave it to a chipmunk with more...appeal."

"That's crazy, you always got way more than enough out of us. It kinda got annoying."

Normally I would never say that out loud, but I'm pretty sure Itchy would.

"It wasn't about the story, that was just a cover up for the real reason. He just wanted

someone prettier on the story, that dirty pig."

"That's disgusting! You're working for this guy?"

"Tell me about it. Now he has me doing a story on some guy and his large head of lettuce.

My career's never going to launch if I'm stuck doing boring stories."

"You never mentioned a career. You wanna talk about it?"

"I want to become a professional reporter but right now I'm just an intern. I had to beg

for the tournament story before because it was by far the biggest thing going on in this

town. He said he'd give me the case if I went on one date with him but yesterday he

demanded another. When I said no, he dropped me as revenge."

"And you're just going to sit here and take that?" I asked in anger.

"What can I do? If I say anything, I get fired."

"But if you stick to wearing that pig's leash, you won't go far."

"Again, what can I do?"

"I'll tell you what you can do, you can stand up for yourself. Walk up to your boss and

tell him you won't have it!"

"But..."

"No buts! If you want to achieve your goal you have to fight for it, and your boss is a

troll on the bridge."

"But what if I get fired? I can't lose my job, it'll stick to my profile like a bad

smell."

"Would you rather become a slave and watch your dreams fly away, or do you at least want a

chance to claim it?"

I'm honestly getting mad here. The idea of someone treating a good person like that, it

sickens me. Anita pondered over the idea and she soon obtained a face of determination.

"You're right, I'm not just going to sit here and take it. I'm going to walk up to my boss

and tell him I'm not going to take his bull. Thanks Itchy...I've never seen this side of

you before."

I panicked a little. I had almost forgotten who I'm supposed to be and blew it. Though

it's not a bad thing if Anita knew who I was, this is supposed to test the disguise. I

can't have an outburst like that in the ring.

"It's different...I kinda like it."

Anita tapped on the drivers window and asked if she could get out. He pulled over and she

climbed out and tapped on my window.

"I'm gonna go straight to work and tell him off. Thanks for talking to me." She said

before running off.

Satisfied, I turned to the driver.

"Did you set this up?"

"Not at all sir...madame...I simply saw her walking down the street and decided to give

her a lift."

I looked at him funny but accepted his story. I'm just happy to help out a friend. Now to

deal with the hard part of today.

We reached the location. I climbed out of the car and was ambushed by a reporter.

"Angelica Scruff from channel seven news here with James Slugcommando. Tell us, what do

you expect from today's fight?"

She's a chipmunk in a revealing dress showing off her developed chest.

"Did you say channel seven?"

"Yes I did."

I let out a little hiccup at her microphone and watched it and her camera fry. I walked

into the building happily.

* * *

"Ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to the first ever Casinopolis fighting tournament!"

The crowd cheered loudly as I walked into the giant cage in the middle of an arena

surrounded by spectators. The door was locked behind me and a spotlight shined on me.

"Let's meet the contestants and congratulate them for coming this far! In this corner, a

tiny hedgehog with a big brain. He's as cunning as a fox and as slippery as an eel. He'll

beat you with a ten foot pole, James Slugcommando!"

There was barely any cheer from the crowd and eyes watched me discouragement. Does Itchy

get this in every fight?

"In the other corner, the serpent from hell itself. His mouth drools with venom from the

very sight of his next meal. His smile shines with venom, Faux!"

A loud hiss of air was heard throughout the building. Something dashed past the lights

leaving us blind for a moment. An intern on the other end of the cage opened up the gate

and hid behind the door. A flash of gray went through the gateway and locked the door

behind it. I watched as the serpent rose and casts a shadow on me.

He's a gray snake of some kind wearing gray robes and gray wrappings around his head and

pants...pant...what do you call pants with one leg?

Just like the announcer said, I can see venom pouring from under his wrapping and dripping

on the floor.

"At lasssst Jamessss, we shall finally finish what we have sssstarted sssso many yearssss

ago." He hissed.

"Do I know you?" I asked.

"Of coursssse you wouldn't. With sssso many fallen by your handssss, why bother

remembering the little people?"

Has Itchy been going around beating people up without telling me? But he said years, we've

only been here for a month or two. What's he talking about?

"It seems we have some kind of rivalry here folks! Perhaps we'll see an age old feud put

to rest? You both know the rules. Now ladies and gentlemen, LET'S GET READY TO RUMBLE!"

As soon as the announcer finished, Faux dashed at me with lightening speed, but I'm even

faster. I jumped towards him and bounced off the top of his head. As he was pushed to the

ground, I grabbed the top of the cage and hung there getting a good view of the results. I

grew worried when he and the audience looked up at me with wonder and confusion. Then it

hit me, I'm supposed to be Itchy right now, and Itchy doesn't go around jumping off other

peoples heads!

I let go of the cage and fell to the floor. I hopped a few times and looked down at the

mat.

"Must've been a loose spring or something." I muttered, giving the illusion that even I

don't know what happened.

"Luck will only get you sssso far Jamessss." Faux shouted before lunging at me again.

Rather than jumping again, I ducked and watched him slam his head on the cage. He recoiled

off the cage and tore out a piece of it with his mighty jaws, neon green venom dripped all

over the metal. While he was stunned, I grabbed him by the tail and spun him around until

he slipped from my fingers and once again had a face full of cage.

When he recovered, he lunged at me again with his lightening speed and just like last time

I ducked, but this time, he went low and wrapped himself around me and squeezed me tight.

"You must think me a fool, but I will not fall for the ssssame tricks twicccce Jamessss."

He squeezed tighter and tighter until I could feel my ribs bending and nearly breaking

until I had no choice but to force all the air out of my lungs. the sudden force of air

pressure caused him to fly upward and banging his head yet again on the ceiling and

letting me go.

To my surprise, I noticed gray dust where he had wrapped around me and purple patches on

his tail when he fell.

I had to confirm my suspicions so I came up with an idea. At a pace as slow as Itchy, I

ran towards Faux and punched him just as he was getting up while at the same time letting

out another burst pretending it was the punch itself that launched him towards the fence

again. When Faux finally hit the other end of the cage, the gray dust was knocked clean

off his body revealing him to be a purple snake and his wrappings became unwoven showing

his, or rather her, large flaps.

"Hey, I know you! It's Zigzag right?"

"It's Zaza, and you'd besssst remember that name for it shall be your downfall."

She lunged me yet again only this time, she started out low. I tried to jump out out of

the way but my leg still got nicked by the skin of her fangs and a small amount of venom

managed to seep in.

"It may not be much, but that venom will will sssslowly cramp your mussscles leaving you

crawling like a ssssnail."

She's right, I can already feel the venom causing my leg to tense up. I'm having trouble

moving it. She took this chance and lunged at me once again starting high. Unable to move

out of the way in time, I just fell on my back and kicked her off me and into the hole she

made earlier. Naturally the hole is much too small to fit through the hole, so she ended

up making it much bigger and tearing her off her robes and ripping the shirt underneath

down the middle revealing her breasts.

The audience was shocked and gasped while a few male spectators whistled and cheered. The

tournament managers and the announcer began to argue with each other about the situations.

"Ladies and gentlemen, after much discussion, it has been decreed that Faux who is now

revealed to be a woman is no longer allowed to compete in the tournament." The announcer

announced.

The crowd booed and hissed at the announcer. Half because they were rooting for their

favorite fighter, the other half because they want to see a naked girl fight. At least,

that's what I think anyway.

"It doessss not matter, sssso long assss I dessstroy Jamessss Brisssstol!" She admitted

before pulling me out of the cage with her tail.

"Um...It's Slugcommando." I corrected her.

"Be ssssilent!" She demanded as she threw me.

I was sent flying through the wall and landed outside. She eventually slithered out the

building and found me and I was forced to run away at a slow pace. I ran and ran as far as

could but I couldn't get away from her, she's just too fast!

Eventually I started to grow tired and began to think that maybe the only way to get rid

of her was by fighting her off...until I finally found him.

"It's about time you showed up!" I looked back to see Zaza slithering towards us "Get

ready!" I warned and ran off wishing him luck.

After a while I started to feel bad about just dumping Zaza on Itchy like that and considered going back to him, but the venom in my leg hasn't worn off yet and at the

moment, I might be more of a problem than a solution.

I kept walking back to the casino for some time and eventually had to sit down when my leg

started to give out. Suddenly, a random car pulled up. The window rolled down and revealed

a much appreciated friend.

"Itchy?" Anita said "What are you doing all the way out here?"

"Nothing, I'm just heading back to the casino."

Anita looked at my injured leg and cringed at how bad it looked.

"I'm not going to let you walk all the way to the casino with that! Get in."

I climbed into the passenger side of her car and we drove off. I then noticed she's not

wearing her usual outfit. She's wearing a pink t-shirt and sweatpants.

"Anita, shouldn't you be at work?"

"Well normally yes. You remember that advice you gave me earlier?"

"Yeah...oh no, don't tell me you got fired!?"

"Yup. I'm currently unemployed."

"Anita, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have told you to do that, I was just under some stress

and I wasn't thinking clearly."

"No it's okay. Sure I was fired but when I stood up for myself, I felt great. It was like

a huge weight was taken off my shoulders. Plus it turns out I wasn't the only one he

treated like dirt and hit on. He got arrested for sexual harassment and another news group

has already offered me another job!" She said happily.

"That's great! I'm so happy for you." I'm glad my advice led to a better opportunity for

her.

We reached the casino and Anita helped me out the car. She stopped me from entering the

casino and looked like she wanted to say something.

"You know, standing up for myself and fighting for what's mine felt really good." She

admitted

"That's good." I agreed.

"But there's one more thing I'm willing to fight for no matter how hard the battle."

"What's that?"

Without saying a word, she grabbed me by the shirt and pulled me close. Before I knew it,

I could feel her lips pressed against mine and she stood there leaning on me with a face

of passion while stood there with an absolute shocked expression. She broke off and waved

me a shy goodbye before driving off.

I screamed in disgust when the car was out of view and ran inside.

"There you are. Where's that pipe you promised me?" I pushed Ernie out of the way and

shoved my face into the leaky faucet and washed away the horrifying flavor of fox from my

mouth. It's a shame it can't wash away memories.

"Sheesh kid, what's the matter with you?" Ernie asked.

"I need take a bath, a long one, in acid!" I said before I ran up the stairs as fast as I

could, and it wasn't fast enough.

I ran straight into the the shower and began brushing my teeth. I looked in the mirror

expecting to see myself, but all I see is Itchy. This is so weird, Anita has a crush on

Itchy but only because of me. What am I going to tell Itchy?

I decided that it's probably best to not do anything and just let it play out on its own.

Besides, I need to take a bath. I took off my shirt and examined myself in the mirror. No

serious injuries, they'll go away in about a day or two. I was just about to step into the

shower when I heard the door and saw Itchy peek his head in. I panicked.

"AHHH! Get out, get out, get out!" I threw the shirt at Itchy and he retreated. Only then

did I realize what just happened.

I walked out of the bathroom and towards Itchy who slumped over on his bed.

"Itchy? Are you okay?"

"My god can't this day just end already!?" He shouted.

* * *

"So it was you the whole time then?" Itchy asked as he scooped up some ice cream.

"Yeah, it was all Rouges idea." I replied before taking another scoop of my ice cream as

well.

"And it was a good idea too. If we hadn't done it, you would've been disqualified." Rouge

noted while she had ice cream in her mouth.

Rouge, Itchy and I sat in the condo eating ice cream. I had just finished taking a bath

and back to my old self. Even Morgul was with us, but he just stands near the window.

"Well at least I know I'm not going crazy." Itchy said.

"Indeed. But now we should be focusing more on what's important." Morgul said "Now that

you have won the third round, you are only one more fight from victory. Our enemies won't

like that one bit and will probably try something to stop you, or worse they'll let you

win so that they can get close to you."

"So it's a bad thing if I win?" Itchy asked.

"Yes and no. If you win then you will be at their doorstep and discover their plans, but

that also means you'll be in their grasps. It's probably best to have a backup plan put in

motion during the final round."

"Hey Rouge, do you know anyone called James Bristol?" I asked.

"Hey yeah, I was wondering the same thing." Itchy admitted.

"Never heard of him, but it is a big world after all. If Zaza said there's a James Bristol

that looks just like James Slugcommando it must be true."

"I wonder what the hell he did to piss her off so badly. The guy likes to hang out with

bad company." Itchy commented.

"Yes yes, this mystery person is interesting and all but shouldn't we be focusing on the

tournament? Do you even know who your next opponent is?" Morgul asked.

At that moment, Caesar bursted in and gave Itchy a great, big hug.

"Buddy! I won! Now we gets to fight in the tournament together!"

"Great..." Itchy muttered sarcastically.


	19. Chapter 19: Round 2, Friendship

How About an Adventure? Ch.19: Final Round, Friendship

I woke up with a bit of a fright. I looked around and noticed I'm no longer in the living room of the condo and am instead on a large, comfortable bed in a room that smells like perfume and decorated with hearts. On a dresser at the corner of the room is my disguise neatly folded and ironed. I climbed out of the bed cautiously, got dressed, and left the room to find myself in the condo still. The room I was in was Rouge's, a room I have never seen the inside of before. Rouge herself is sleeping on the air mattress I usually sleep in.  
"Good morning!" Sonar appeared from the kitchen with a plate of food in her hands.  
"Why was I in Rouge's room?" I asked.  
"It was my idea. I figured you need as much rest as possible so I asked Rouge if you can sleep on her comfortable bed instead of your uncomfortable mattress. She agreed and we moved you last night. I also made you breakfast." She admitted.  
I thanked her and peeked at the food. An omelet with mini sausages with a mug of coffee and a grapefruit. I accepted the plate from her and took a bite out of the omelet and smiled in delight as it went down my throat  
"I hope you don't mind. I'm not as good as you."  
I told her it's not a problem and took a sip of the coffee to quench my thirst. I cringed a little at the very bitter taste of the coffee.  
"I hope the coffee's okay. I never had to make it before." She admitted.  
I again denied this fault and continued to eat the breakfast. Other than the extra salt and the black coffee, it's actually pretty good.  
"Thanks for breakfast, but you didn't have to go so far you know." I said.  
"I know, but today's a really important day for you. It's your last match."  
"I know that, it's not something I can easily forget."  
I started to think about the tournament and what would happen if I win and take NEXGEN down. We'll finally save the kids, I'll get my brother back, and we can finally go home.  
"Just remember that you have to actually win the tournament for our hard work to be worth it." Rouge snuck up behind me and gave me a hard pat on the back and a small patch of fur fell to the floor.  
I walked to the bathroom and took a look at myself in the mirror. I've almost finished molting. The lower half of my face has gone coffee brown again and while the upper half stays orange. Even my quills began to break apart back to their messy look. Suddenly, Rouge clenched my nose shut and lifted my face while shutting my eyes with her hands and what sounds like a spray can was sprayed all over my face. When she finally raised her hands, I saw in the mirror that I was sprayed with some kind of orange paint making the disguise slightly whole again.  
"Is that the same stuff you used on yourself?" I asked Sonar who is holding the spray can.  
"Yes. Just be careful, the stuff comes off easy with water."  
We headed downstairs where we found Ernie and Tyler dressed like they were going somewhere.  
"Where are you two going?" I asked.  
"With you kid. We wouldn't miss this for the world." Ernie answered.  
"Besides, you might need backup. Who knows what they might pull?" Tyler explained further.  
"Thanks you guys." I said with a smile.  
"I just want to say...out of all my pupils...you are the one that made me the proudest." Ernie began to cry a little with pride.  
"Don't mind him. He decided to have a little pre-celebration drink." Tyler said.  
After regaining Ernie's spirits, we walked outside to find the limo already parked with the driver inviting us in. We all climbed in where found yet another nice surprise.  
"It's about time you guys showed up."  
"Anita? What are you doing here?" I asked.  
"Are you kidding? I wouldn't miss this for..."  
"The world. I know." I finished for her.  
When she noticed me, she suddenly grew silent and tried not to look at me. I noticed she's wearing more formal clothing than usual. She's wearing a simple, gray dress and a belt with a familiar belt buckle. She's also wearing heart crescent earrings and a jade necklace. Even with her face turned away from me, I could tell she's wearing more makeup than usual.  
The final match is going to take place on the other end of town near a pier at a construction site put on halt for the fight. It's going to be a long drive so Rouge took the liberty of keeping us occupied with beverages and snacks. Everyone was talking to each other about something. Tyler, Rouge, and Sonar were talking about something uninteresting and Ernie spoke to me about certain tips and details against my opponent. The only one that hasn't said a word is Anita. She just sat next to me with a can of soda in her hand.  
Anita has been acting weird all week. I heard she stood up for herself at work and got a better job at another news station from Sonar. Lately she's been standing tall against everything and has been visiting the casino more frequently without trying to get information. While I'm glad she's no longer nosy, I can't help but feel a bit uneasy around her. Even more than usual I should say. I could hear her cheering and bouncing around with Sonar from another room, but when I enter, she seems to completely change. She would stay quiet and would keep her head low and try not to look at me directly unless I'm looking the other way. Sometimes I feel like she tries to sneak closer and closer to me and at one point I swore she tried to sniff me but backed off when I tried to catch her in the act. From what I'm trying to understand, she's keeping her distance until I'm not paying attention. Did I scare her to make her keep her distance? Do I intimidate her? What is she up to? I'll never understand women.  
We've been on the road for about an hour until we finally reached the construction site which seems almost finished. Minus the driver, we all climbed out of the limo and admired the building. It almost seems like it's made out of diamond and seems to end at a sort of point. The reflection of the ocean makes it shine like the northern lights.  
"This building seems a lot different than any other building in town." Sonar noted.  
"I was snooping around for some information. No one knew this was being built until the location of the final round was announced." Anita revealed.  
"You think our generous sponsors have anything to do with it?" Rouge asked.  
"Think it? This has NEXGEN written all over it." I answered.  
"Where? I don't see any writing." Tyler said.  
"It's a figure of speech you moron!" Ernie shouted.  
"Well how was I supposed to know?"  
As Ernie and Tyler argued, I couldn't help but notice the ground shaking underneath my feet. Each time it shakes, it seems to be getting stronger and a thud sound can be heard.  
"Buddy!" Caesar's hug nearly snapped me in two.  
"Hello...Caesar. Could you...let go?" I said as I gasped for air.  
Caesar dropped me and said hello to everyone else. To be honest, I'm a bit nervous about fighting the big cat. The last time I saw him fight was during the initiation battle royal, and he was tossing around thugs like rag dolls. While they don't show any replays from any of the rounds, I saw the results of his beatings on his opponents. They had to be sent to the hospital and one was begging for the fight to end. Caesar may be a nice guy on the outside, but he seems to turn into a real beast in the ring and that gets me worried.  
"Now Fuzz ball" Rouge started "We're not allowed inside but we'll stay out here should anything happen. We'll rush in on the first sign of trouble."  
"Thanks. I'll keep that in mind." While I know that I'm literally walking into NEXGEN's evil lair completely unarmed and with no idea what to expect except perhaps pain, it's nice to know that I have backup.  
"Itchy" Sonar pleaded me towards her and revealed to me the underside of her vest. The plasma blaster rested snug her pocket. "I doubt they'll let you take it inside. I'll hold onto it in case you need it."  
Sonar is right to be prepared for the worst. We've seen what NEXGEN is capable of. They had a giant robot in charge of guarding a train full of kids and they sent an attack helicopter just to pick up one Mobian. It's just a shame I can't take the blaster with me at the beginning.  
After all the planning and preparations have been said and done, Caesar and I stood in front of the main doors and looked at each other. Without saying a word, we nodded and headed in. We found ourselves in a very long, white hallway that seems to still be under construction. After a bit of walking and hearing nothing but our footsteps, we found ourselves in front of a large pair of doors and a familiar bird.  
"But you must let me in. I've been the announcer throughout the entire tournament. It's my job to be here!" The announcer pleaded.  
"Is there something wrong?" I asked.  
"Yes. These people will not allow me to do what I was hired to do!" The announcer complained.  
"That is because you no longer have a job you pest." The doors swung open and an old ostrich revealed himself. He must be Mr. Beak. "I shall be hosting today's event personally. You are free to go." He said to the announcer.  
"Very well. I shall take my leave, but you will be hearing from my lawyers." The announcer raised his nose and walked away with a strut.  
The Ostrich signaled us to follow and we headed towards the center of the building. The center is a large, open area shaped like a cylinder with a view of each floors walkways and a single elevator in the middle. At the moment the center is empty, but seeing how this building is still under construction, it can be assumed the center is meant to have much more than just an elevator.  
"It's big." Caesar commented.  
"Yeah. A little too big. I think someone is compensating for something." I replied.  
"I assure you this building is just the right size for our company. We are not "compensating" or whatever it is you said." Beak answered.  
We each stepped in the elevator. It was a tight squeeze with Caesar's broad shoulders and bulky frame but we made it in. Beak hit the button for the top floor and we began to rise.  
"Mr. Bird, what is the big prize at the end?" Caesar asked.  
"I can't tell you, it's a surprise. Let's just say it will change your life forever." I decided to take Beak's answer literally. Knowing NEXGEN, you never know what to expect.  
"I hope it's something sweet, like ice cream! I love ice cream!" Caesar said.  
"Tell you what Caesar, how about after this, I'll take you out to go eat ice cream?" I offered.  
"Wow! Really?"  
"Yup. I'll let you eat your weight in it." I took one more look at Caesar "Let's make it my weight."  
Caesar wrapped his arms around me and gave me a big hug.  
"Thanks buddy!"  
"No problem...now could you let go of me?" I struggled to say.

We reached the top of the tower to get a great view of the ocean. The last floor hasn't been finished yet so there's no roof or walls but plenty of construction equipment. At the center is the ring complete with guard rails and surrounded by unmanned cameras with their channels respective logos on the side. Beak has gone to great lengths to keep this private.  
"Would you two kindly step into the ring?" Beak asked.  
We both walked into the ring and headed to our respective corners. Beak pulled out a remote and activated the cameras. A light on each camera blinked and automatically moved to keep on us.  
"Greetings to all of Casinopolis and welcome to this city's first ever tournament." Beak said casually into a microphone. "In one corner, James Slugcommando, and in the other, Caesar the lion. Now fight!"  
"Whoa, hold up now. That's it? Just "fight"?" I complained.  
"Yes that is what you are supposed to do, now fight!"  
"I don't like this announcer. He's not fun." Caesar complained as well.  
"Fine. What will it take to get you two to start fighting?" Beak asked.  
"Say it like the last guy said it." I demanded.  
"Are you kidding me? Fine, ladies and gentlemen, LETS GET READY TO RUMBLE!"  
"Not the best but it'll do."  
I stood my ground and waited for Caesar to make the first move. Caesar wasn't moving a muscle.  
"Caesar, you do know the fights started already right?"  
"I don't want to hurt you! You're my friend."  
If there's one thing I can say about Caesar, it's that he has a heart of gold.  
"Caesar, its okay. You won't hurt me."  
Caesar wasn't buying it. He stood there confused out of his little mind. Beak was watching with anger in his eyes and I could feel everyone watching from their televisions doing the same. I had to do something very drastic. I reached down the back of my pants and pulled out a large feather from my tail. I whistled for Caesars attention and waved the feather in the air.  
"Look Caesar, a strange object that's just begging to be caught!" I shouted.  
Caesar stared at the feather as if he was in a trance. His brow narrowed and his teeth showed as he began to growl. He went down on all fours and let out a mighty roar as he pounced at me. Time seemed to slow down as he was nearing me and all I could do is think to myself how bad an idea I had.  
Just before he reached me, I ducked and slid under him and dodged his lunge. Sparing no time, I grabbed his tail and tried to spin him as I did with Diego, but it did not work. Caesar lifted me with his tail alone and flicked me across the ring like garbage.  
Before I could get up, Caesar bit down on my leg and shook me around like a chew toy. I managed to get loose by swinging my other leg around and kicking his head hard enough that my venomous claw penetrated my pants and scratched his head. The scratch wasn't deep enough to leave his face numb but he did loosen up his bite and I was once again sent flying, this time out of the ring and into a pile of wooden planks.  
When I recovered, Caesar had already launched after me, but this time I'm ready. I grabbed one of the planks and put it in front of me. Caesar bit down on it instead and tried to free his teeth after realizing his mistake. Before he could get loose, I pulled the plank down and struck his jaw with my knee, leaving him in pain and with a face full of splinters. I took the chance to run off and search around the site and found two loaded and powered rivet guns and some cables. By that time, Caesar recovered and charged at me again. I acted quickly and attached a long cable to both of rivets on the rivet guns and made a makeshift bolos and fired both rivets at Caesars legs. The rivets wrapped around his legs causing him to fall on his face with a loud thud.  
I walked over to check on him but jumped back when he swiped at me and cut the cable with his claw. Caesar swiped at me again and made contact, launching me towards a pole. The pole bended when I grabbed on to it and Caesar pounced at me yet again. Ripping a page out of the book of classics, I let go of the pole just as Caesar was about to reach me smacking him square in the head.  
I couldn't help but laugh a little by the little trick. I stopped just in time to Caesar get up one more time. He just won't stay down! I grabbed a nearby large monkey wrench and proceeded to beat him over the head repeatedly to knock him out or at the very least slow him down but he just grabbed it in his jaws and snapped it in two then grabbed me by my torso with his large paw. He raised me to eye level and stared at me with a triumphant smile...and nuzzled my head. He laid down on his belly and began to purr loudly like a kitten while cuddling me. I tried to get out of his grasp but he held me tightly with no method of escape. He has me pinned down.  
"It seems we have a winner." Beak announced.  
He walked over to us and struggled to raise Caesar's hand allowing me to escape.  
"Ladies and gentlemen, the winner of the first ever Casinopolis fighting tournament is...Caesar the Lion! Thank you and goodnight."  
The cameras powered down but I can still hear the city cheer from the building. I can't help but feel disappointed.  
"Mr. Lion, would you like to receive your prize now?"  
Caesar looked happy until he looked at me.  
"Only if I get to share it with my bestest friend."  
I'm not going to lie, that was kind of sweet. Though I doubt I really want this prize.  
"Very well, I'm sure we have enough for both of you."  
Beak began to lead us back to the elevator. While he had his back turned, I grabbed a large pipe and prepared to beat him with it.  
"I do hope you are excited about your prize. It's to die for." Beak commented.  
"Yeah, I'll bet." I replied as I raised the pipe.  
The elevator door opened and I gave my first swing. I ended up on the floor.  
The grunts from the elevator walked out and admired their work as Caesar and I laid on the floor with sedatives shot into our bodies.  
"Oh yes, you'll be dying to see it." Beak joked.

...I woke up with a headache and checked my surroundings. I'm lying on concrete and appear to be in what seems to be a large stadium of sorts. I got up slowly as the effects of the sedative still had a hold on me and my balance has not been fully restored. I staggered over to what seemed to be a door on the far end, but I could not open it.  
"I hope you weren't planning on leaving us." I heard Beak's voice ring throughout the stadium.  
"Beak! You son of a bitch, show yourself!"  
A large screen lowered into the stadium. It turned on and revealed Beak's ugly face.  
"Oh my, such language. Someone needs to be taught discipline."  
"Shut your beak asshole!" I looked around and noticed that I'm the only one in the stadium "Where's Caesar?"  
"He's a lot closer than you think. Tell me, what do you know about NEXGEN?"  
"I know you're a bunch of insane extremists with a sick fantasy!"  
"Oh so naive. This is why we have to do things violently, people just don't understand the correct way of thinking."  
"Correct way of...you've kidnapped children, killed people in public, and plan to take over the world by killing even more people!"  
"Perhaps I should explain it to you, then maybe you'll see it our way. You see, we've watched how the world is being run right now. War, enslavement, destruction, even your so called leaders seem to be turning against themselves. We wish to end this ridiculous war so that we may build the road to peace, but we can't do that if neither side will stand down. That is why both sides must be destroyed, so we can move on to a better life."  
"By taking control of everything and ruling with the fear of being wiped out?"  
"The people do not know what they want. They need guidance or else they will wipe themselves out."  
"The people have already seen life under a ruthless dictator using fear as a weapon. They would never follow you!"  
"Like stubborn cattle, they must be scared to be guided. But the people no longer respond to a gun pointed at them, which is why we must build something much scarier. Send in L.E.O."  
At the center of the stadium, a platform raised from underground revealing a capsule. The capsule began to shake violently and large dents were pushed outward. I was horrified when the capsule's door was flung off the hinges.  
It was Caesar...and it wasn't.  
The first thing I noticed was his mane, it's gone, and was replaced with large wires connected to the back of his head. The upper right of his face is covered in a sheet of metal and his eye was replaced with a glowing, red, robotic eye. His right arm was skinned and covered in machines and his left was just a stump with a large cannon sticking out. Everything else seemed to have been cut open and sewed shut. I was less scared and angrier at what they did to him.  
"Caesar? It's me, your buddy."  
"Caesar no longer exists. This is L.E.O: Large Electronic Organism. He is the first of a long line of super soldiers that shall aid in our conquest towards the Next Generation!"  
"That's why you were kidnapping children, you were planning on turning them into monsters!"  
"Oh no, the children were not for me, but another faction of our group."  
"There are more of you?"  
"Yes. When our plans are complete, we'll shall strike from all sides. No one will be able to stop us! You should be thankful, you'll be one of the first few to be killed by our super weapon. After all, were you not raised to experiment and learn, James? Or should I say Mr. Featherworth?"  
Caesars hand shot out like a rocket and punched me towards the wall. When I recovered, I noticed quills and paint splattered all around me. He punched my disguise off!  
"I must say, the family resemblance is...nonexistent."  
"How did you know who I am? What do you know about my family?"  
"We knew who you were from the beginning. We knew you didn't burn in that building and that disguise didn't fool us. We know of your fathers work. A bright man, it's a shame he had to get caught. You had project C.Y.C.L.E, what did you think of your fathers dream in action?"  
"Living metal. It's incomplete, you would've made the whole bike out of it if it was correct. There are too many flaws."  
"Precisely. But you're the only one that knows that, and we can't have you telling others. Kill him."  
Caesar started to walk towards me.  
"Caesar, think about what you're doing. Remember who you are! This isn't you, you would never kill anyone!"  
"I beg to differ. L.E.O, show him your trophy."  
Caesar pulled out a boot, but not just any boot. A white boot with blue hearts on it. I know that boot from anywhere, and it was torn and bloody.  
"No, not her. Anyone but her!"  
I wept quietly as my former friend raised his arm, and came down with all his might.


End file.
